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  • JACDEN’s $10-million payment raises questions

    JACDEN’s $10-million payment raises questions

    Calls for transparency grew louder on Tuesday during a public accounts committee (PAC) hearing, as a ruling-party Jamaican MP pressed senior leaders of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) for clear answers about a $10.8 million customs duty payment made by a private company for imports declared under the public hospital’s tax-exempt name — answers that hospital officials were unable to provide.

    The growing controversy revolves around the transaction attributed to JACDEN, a private firm where opposition Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon, representative for St Andrew East Central, holds a principal leadership role. The payment was made to Jamaica Customs for goods imported under UHWI’s name, tying the case to a broader investigation into misuse of the major public hospital’s tax-exempt import status.

    This probe is part of an ongoing PAC review of damning findings from Jamaica’s Auditor General, which uncovered repeated misuse of UHWI’s tax-exempt privileges to allow private companies to import goods duty-free. The practice has resulted in millions of dollars in lost government revenue from unpaid customs duties, prompting wide-ranging scrutiny of regulatory and institutional oversight.

    During Tuesday’s committee sitting, Government MP Heroy Clarke questioned the legal and procedural foundation for any private entity to pay customs duties on behalf of a public medical institution, especially when the hospital is formally listed as the official importer of record. He repeatedly pressed acting UHWI CEO Eric Hosin for clarity on what authority allowed a third-party private firm to cover duties for goods imported in the hospital’s name, asking “On what ground, what condition, what authority, that some goods that were brought in the name of UHWI, that a third party, a private entity, would have gotten the authority to pay duty on behalf of UHWI.”

    In response to the committee’s questions, Hosin stated that no such private payment arrangement had been approved by the hospital during his tenure as acting chief executive. However, Clarke pushed back, pointing to official documentation submitted to the committee that confirms the payment was processed by Jamaica Customs despite UHWI being named as the importer. He continued to press for clarity, asking “On what grounds did this company, JACDEN, pay over $10 million to Customs, Customs accepting that money in the name of UHWI — because the goods belong to UHWI?”

    Ultimately, Hosin conceded that he could not explain how the unusual transaction was approved or processed, telling the committee “I don’t know. You’d have to speak to Customs.”

    This unresolved exchange has amplified longstanding concerns about critical gaps in regulatory oversight, particularly around how public institutions’ tax-exempt status can be exploited by private actors for unauthorized financial gain. Clarke also flagged a documented violation of Jamaica’s Customs Act, noting that UHWI has been officially cited for making a false import declaration in breach of Section 209 of the legislation. Customs has notified the hospital that it may file an objection to the citation, but requires a deposit to process the appeal. Clarke asked UHWI officials whether the institution had drafted an objection and paid the required deposit, and Hosin confirmed no action has been taken on the citation to date.

    The case has gained heightened political attention due to Gordon’s direct ties to JACDEN, placing the opposition MP at the center of the unfolding scandal. The controversy has already expanded beyond the PAC, with Parliament’s Ethics Committee launching a review to re-examine previous disclosures Gordon made about his business interests. As the PAC’s investigation moves forward, Clarke has made clear that full public clarity will be required not just from UHWI leadership, but also from Jamaica Customs, particularly around the agency’s protocols for accepting third-party payments in import transactions involving public institutions.

  • BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in next two years

    BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in next two years

    LONDON, UK – One of Britain’s most iconic public media institutions, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), announced this Wednesday that it intends to eliminate between 1,800 and 2,000 full-time roles across the organization over the next two years, a move rooted in severe and growing financial strain that has reshaped the global media landscape.

    In an internal statement shared with staff and later obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP), interim BBC Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies confirmed the scope of the cuts, noting that while final details are still being finalized, the corporation is preparing for a net reduction of nearly 2,000 roles. The announcement was first broadcast publicly on the BBC’s own rolling news channel Wednesday afternoon.

    Davies emphasized that the cuts are a necessary, urgent response to what the organization calls “significant financial pressures” that cannot be delayed. The BBC has outlined a target to cut £500 million from its £5 billion annual operating budget, with the majority of these savings required by the 2027 and 2028 fiscal cycles. If carried out as planned, this round of redundancies will mark the largest workforce reduction at the 100-year-old broadcaster in nearly 15 years, according to reports from UK-based ITV News and the Press Association.

    The downsizing comes at a time of unprecedented upheaval for traditional public service media. The BBC is grappling with multiple overlapping challenges: the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence that is reshaping content production workflows, shifting audience consumption habits that favor on-demand streaming over traditional broadcast, and a long-term decline in revenue from its core funding source, the television licence fee. In a March report, the broadcaster revealed that its real-term licence fee income has dropped by 24% since 2017, and the organization is required to cut its total cost base by an additional 10% by March 2029. The report warned that difficult decisions could ultimately lead to reduced content offerings and scaled-back public services.

    Beyond internal financial woes, the BBC is also facing high-profile external legal pressure. Former US President Donald Trump recently filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the corporation over a documentary that edited footage of a 2021 speech Trump delivered ahead of the US Capitol riot. Trump alleges the editing misrepresented his remarks to make it appear he explicitly encouraged supporters to storm the congressional building.

    The restructuring comes as the BBC prepares to welcome a new permanent director-general next month: Matt Brittin, a longtime Google executive, who was hired specifically to steer the historic broadcaster through a period of major organizational transformation. Currently, the BBC remains a deeply embedded part of British public life, with the corporation reporting that 94% of all UK adults engage with its services on a monthly basis. It is funded entirely by the mandatory television licence fee paid by UK households that access any BBC content, rather than through commercial advertising.

  • Big UHWI bill, no repayment plan

    Big UHWI bill, no repayment plan

    A major financial and compliance crisis has emerged at Jamaica’s leading public healthcare institution, the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), with lawmakers on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) learning Tuesday that the facility carries more than JMD $40 billion in unpaid tax obligations — and has no formal structured plan to repay the massive debt, all while operating on an expiring temporary Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC).

    The stunning disclosure was made during the PAC’s ongoing review of a damning auditor general’s report into questionable procurement practices at the hospital, opening a new front of scrutiny over the institution’s long-term financial management and failure to meet core statutory requirements.

    Appearing before the committee to answer questions from PAC Chair Julian Robinson, UHWI Acting Chief Executive Officer Eric Hosin confirmed the staggering scale of the outstanding arrears. Hosin clarified that the full $40 billion sum includes years of accumulated compound interest and late payment penalties, with the underlying pre-penalty principal amount of the debt sitting at approximately $18 billion.

    The revelation immediately sparked urgent concern among committee members, who zeroed in on whether statutory payroll deductions taken directly from UHWI employees’ salaries — including contributions to the National Housing Trust (NHT) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) — had actually been remitted to the relevant government agencies as required by law. Robinson highlighted the direct, tangible harm this could inflict on ordinary hospital workers if the funds had been withheld.

    “It would be important for us to know, particularly on the employee side, because this would impact people who might go to NHT seeking a benefit, people who are retired and would go to the NIS office and can’t get a benefit,” Robinson told the hearing.

    Hosin moved quickly to reassure the committee that no current UHWI employees have faced negative consequences from the debt crisis, confirming that the hospital is now fully up to date on all monthly NHT and NIS contribution remittances. He explained that the facility’s ongoing cash flow crisis only affects older outstanding tax obligations, noting “we don’t have enough money to pay the other tax obligations.” Those unpaid older obligations include outstanding income tax and education tax payments, Hosin added.

    Lawmakers continued to press for answers on how such a massive debt could build up largely unchecked over time. Hosin acknowledged the arrears stretch back multiple years, but he was unable to provide the committee with a precise timeline for when the debt began to accumulate during Tuesday’s sitting.

    Adding to lawmakers’ alarm is the hospital’s shaky tax compliance status. Despite owing tens of billions in unpaid taxes, Hosin confirmed UHWI is currently operating on a temporary TCC that is set to expire on May 6. Most worryingly for the committee, Hosin admitted the hospital has not negotiated any formal repayment agreement with Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) to resolve the outstanding debt — a requirement for most entities with large tax arrears seeking to retain compliance status.

    Robinson questioned how the hospital could be granted any form of compliant status without a structured repayment plan in place, noting that standard regulatory protocols would require such an arrangement for any organization carrying major unpaid tax obligations.

    In response, Hosin explained that negotiations to resolve the debt are still in their very early stages. He outlined that UHWI’s leadership plans to first consult with the Ministry of Health and Wellness before approaching the Ministry of Finance to discuss potential pathways forward, including possible relief for the accumulated interest and penalties tied to the original debt.

    Hosin also revealed that UHWI operated for an extended period without any valid TCC at all, though he again could not provide a clear timeline for how long that status lasted. That additional revelation raised fresh questions about the hospital’s ability to legally import critical medical supplies independently, and ties back to earlier audit findings that the facility’s tax-exempt status was misused for private business transactions involving third-party entities.

    Chairman Robinson stressed that pinning down how long UHWI has operated without full tax compliance is a critical part of the PAC’s ongoing investigation, particularly as the committee probes whether the failure to meet statutory obligations is connected to the procurement irregularities already under review.

    Robinson also called for a full, itemized breakdown of the $40 billion debt, so lawmakers can clearly distinguish what portion of the liability stems from unpaid employee payroll deductions like NHT and NIS versus other unpaid tax types.

    While Hosin repeatedly reiterated that current employees have not been impacted by the backlog, noting the hospital is current on monthly contributions and has put safeguards in place to ensure no worker is denied rightful benefits, Robinson remained firm that the committee will not move forward without a full comprehensive ageing report that details when each portion of the debt was accumulated and breaks down every component of the total liability. The PAC’s investigation into both the procurement irregularities and the broader tax debt crisis is ongoing.

  • SMA reinforces commitment to Caribbean digital resilience and regional collaboration

    SMA reinforces commitment to Caribbean digital resilience and regional collaboration

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Against a backdrop of growing regional demand for reliable, future-ready digital infrastructure, Jamaica’s top spectrum regulator has doubled down on its pledge to elevate digital resilience across Jamaica and the entire Caribbean basin, stressing that coordinated cross-border action, robust spectrum stewardship, and ongoing technical capacity investments are non-negotiable for long-term progress.

    The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) laid out this strategic vision at the 31st annual Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) Forum, which ran from April 14 to 16, 2026, in Kingston. The gathering brought together hundreds of regional and global digital industry stakeholders, policymakers, and technical experts to tackle pressing questions about the future of Caribbean digital infrastructure, aligning all discussions around the official forum theme: “The Resilient Archipelago: Strengthening the Caribbean’s Digital Core”.

    During a dedicated session focused on elevating women in the Caribbean tech and network operations space, Dr. Maria Myers-Hamilton, SMA’s Managing Director, centered her remarks on a critical, often overlooked truth: building robust, shock-resistant digital ecosystems requires far more than just laying new fiber or upgrading hardware. It requires intentional cross-stakeholder collaboration, visionary proactive leadership, and consistent, long-term investment in developing skilled workforces and strong institutional frameworks.

    “Digital resilience for the Caribbean is never solely a technical challenge,” Dr. Myers-Hamilton explained. “At its heart, it is a test of how we work together as an interconnected region. Our communication networks, our digital systems, and even our shared spectrum environments do not stop at national borders. To strengthen resilience, we must strengthen collaboration first, build up the technical expertise of our teams, and manage our finite spectrum resources in a way that prioritizes long-term sustainability and inclusive economic growth.”

    She went on to reinforce that evidence-based, effective spectrum management stands as the foundational pillar of all efforts to boost regional digital resilience, framing the practice as a strategic catalyst that unlocks universal connectivity, advances public safety outcomes, and drives broad-based economic development across Caribbean island nations.

  • Loyalty or liability?

    Loyalty or liability?

    Nearly two full days after a Sunday night shooting at Jamaica’s popular Big Wall entertainment venue left three people with gunshot wounds, the aftermath of the violent incident continues to send shockwaves through the country’s dancehall community, igniting widespread debate over the longstanding but deeply problematic culture of large, unregulated entourages that accompany many top dancehall artistes. Initial reports confirm that the confrontation involved well-known music producer Jahvy Ambassador, members of dancehall artist 450’s personal camp, and prominent podcaster Jaii Frais, placing the issue of entourage-related violence front and center in national public discourse.

    Beyond the immediate details of the shooting, Jamaican industry insiders and cultural analysts are now tracing the root of the violence to long-unchallenged norms within the dancehall space, calling for systemic shifts in how artistes structure and manage their support teams. Speaking to local outlet Jamaica Observer, popular Jamaican TikTok creator and entertainment commentator Ganja Clauze offered historical context for the role of entourages, while arguing that the practice has strayed far from its original purpose in recent years.

    “From a historical perspective, I understand completely why artistes have felt the need to surround themselves with a group of supporters. Every person was supposed to fill a specific, useful role,” Ganja Clauze explained. “But what we’re seeing now is that these groups have ballooned to sizes that are impossible to manage. You’ll see entourages with as many as 30 men, and half of them aren’t even personally known by the artiste. There’s no way that all of those people add any real value to the entertainer’s career or brand.”

    For Ganja Clauze, the problem extends far beyond just inflated numbers. He pinned much of the issue on a widespread lack of strong intergenerational mentorship that has left younger dancehall artistes without clear guidance on how to maintain control over their crews and keep potential conflict in check. “It’s devastating to see this outdated practice still leading to senseless violence like this,” he said. “Right now, there’s very little active mentorship from dancehall legends and older industry figures to the upcoming generation. We desperately need open, consistent communication between yesterday’s stars and today’s new artistes.”

    That call for greater intergenerational connection was echoed by leading Jamaican cultural analyst Professor Donna Hope, who emphasized that the growing disconnect between older and younger dancehall creatives has created a dangerous gap in institutional knowledge and guidance. “Young men in the modern dancehall space often don’t respond well to input from older industry elders,” Professor Hope noted. “That’s very different from reggae, where it’s still standard for young artists to listen to and learn from veterans. I don’t see that dynamic in dancehall anymore, especially with the latest wave of talent.”

    She added that experienced elders have a unique and critical role to play: “Older men who have already been through every struggle the industry can throw at you, and who have mellowed with time, are the perfect people to lay out clear dos and don’ts for the next generation. Even though everyone in the industry knows the risks of unregulated entourages, those risks are almost never taken seriously until something terrible like this shooting happens.” Professor Hope went on to argue that unchecked egos, both for artistes and for members of their inner circles, directly contributed to the avoidable violence at Big Wall: “None of what happened on Sunday needed to happen.”

    Ganja Clauze pushed for entourage reform that centers on clear role definition, arguing that adding loosely connected hangers-on to an artiste’s crew almost always creates more harm than benefit. “There are far more productive ways to empower young people in your community than bringing them along to a high-profile party as part of your entourage,” he said. “If these individuals don’t contribute anything to your work or your brand, artistes need to stop feeling obligated to bring them along just for the sake of appearances.”

    Pointing to the high-profile case of iconic dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence, Ganja Clauze highlighted the long-term damage that can come from embracing an unregulated “bad man” culture within an artiste’s circle. “Kartel himself will tell you now that leaning into the bad man lifestyle and surrounding yourself with that culture is terrible for long-term success,” he said. “It cost him 13 years of his freedom, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and most painfully, the chance to watch his children grow up. That’s why we need clearer boundaries and a more professional approach to entourages in dancehall today.”

    Professor Hope offered a more nuanced take on the place of entourages in dancehall, noting that the practice is deeply woven into the fabric of the industry and serves both practical and symbolic purposes. “You can’t just wave a magic wand and eliminate entourages entirely—that’s not how the ecosystem works,” she explained. “They actually serve real functions for hard-core dancehall artistes. They’re part of what I call the artiste’s ‘ego-system’: they provide security, they display public loyalty, and they act as a visible marker of an artist’s status and influence. Every person in the crew usually sees themselves as having a clear role.”

    That sense of duty, however, can often lead to extreme reactions that escalate minor disputes into deadly violence. “Members of these crews almost always feel it’s their responsibility to protect their artiste’s name and reputation by any means necessary,” Professor Hope said. She went on to warn crew members that in the modern digital age, violent public incidents leave permanent marks that no public relations work can erase, noting that 450’s public reputation has already suffered far more damage than that of his manager Jahvy Ambassador in the wake of the shooting. “I don’t think anyone in that entourage stopped to think through what the consequences would be of having a violent public confrontation with Jaii Frais,” she said.

    The shooting has now opened the door for a long-overdue industry-wide conversation about reform, with leaders calling for tangible changes to reduce the risk of future violence and protect the reputation of Jamaican dancehall on the global stage.

  • Kelly-Ann Murdock to act as director of corruption prosecution at Integrity Commission

    Kelly-Ann Murdock to act as director of corruption prosecution at Integrity Commission

    Jamaica’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Integrity Commission (IC), has a new acting head of corruption prosecution, following the early resignation of former director Roneiph Lawrence. Veteran prosecutor Kelly-Ann Murdock officially took up the role in a swearing-in ceremony held Tuesday, March 31, where Jamaica’s Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen administered the oath of office. The appointment was announced publicly this Monday via the Governor-General’s official Instagram account.

    In the official announcement post, the Governor-General extended his warm well wishes to Murdock as she embarks on her new leadership tenure. He emphasized that the role Murdock steps into plays an irreplaceable part in protecting institutional integrity and enforcing accountability across Jamaica’s national justice framework.

    Murdock’s appointment fills the vacancy left by Lawrence, who stepped down from the post last month to accept an appointment as a domestic judge in Jamaica. Lawrence’s tenure in the same role was marked by political controversy from the start: when he was appointed to the position in 2023, Jamaica’s ruling Jamaica Labour Party raised formal objections over his long-standing personal friendship with Dr Dayton Campbell, General Secretary of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP).

    According to public profiles published on the IC’s official website, Murdock brings a wealth of specialized prosecutorial experience to the role, built over years of service across Jamaica’s justice system and the broader Caribbean region. She previously held multiple senior roles at Jamaica’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), including legal advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, crown counsel, and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions. Beyond Jamaica’s borders, Murdock also served as a prosecuting attorney in the Turks and Caicos Islands, gaining hands-on regional legal experience that the IC highlights as a valuable asset for her new role.

    Murdock’s professional legal credentials date back to December 2016, when she was formally admitted to the Jamaican Bar. Her academic background spans multiple top institutions across the Caribbean and North America: she earned a Bachelor of Science in both International Relations and Criminology from the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus, followed by a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus. She completed her foundational legal training with a Certificate in Legal Education from Jamaica’s Norman Manley Law School, and later pursued advanced professional development in project management and strategic leadership at Lambton College in Toronto, Canada.

    Over the course of her legal career, Murdock has overseen a wide portfolio of high-stakes, complex criminal cases, including many matters of major public interest, per the IC’s statement. The commission notes she contributed to the preparation of several landmark prosecutions, including work on what the IC describes as “one of the largest gang trials in Jamaica” — the commission did not release further details or identify the specific case in its public announcement.

    In a formal statement outlining Murdock’s appointment, the IC reaffirmed her commitment to core institutional values: “Mrs Murdock is committed to upholding the rule of law, strengthening public trust and advancing the principles of accountability, transparency and integrity in public service.”

  • US$15 million enough for FAST, says Holness

    US$15 million enough for FAST, says Holness

    Jamaican Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has introduced a critical policy adjustment to the government’s flagship post-disaster recovery and economic expansion initiative, cutting the minimum investment requirement for the Facilitated Acceleration of Strategic Transformation (FAST) by 90% to unlock broader private sector participation.

    FAST operates as a complementary framework to the proposed National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the central government body tasked with leading rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, alongside delivering transformative long-term infrastructure projects including a new Kingston Public Hospital, the expansion of Vernamfield Airport, and a new government administrative campus at Heroes’ Circle. When the initiative was first unveiled during Holness’ March budget address, the prime minister set a minimum investment cap of US$150 million for projects seeking to access the FAST accelerated approval pathway. That threshold has now been lowered to just US$15 million, a change announced Tuesday during the opening of parliamentary debate on the NaRRA establishment bill.

    Holness told the House of Representatives that the adjustment follows a thorough review of Jamaica’s current investment climate and the volume of private capital the government aims to attract for its recovery and growth agenda. “After careful reflection on the investment landscape and the scale of private capital the Government would need to crowd in, we have decided to lower the FASTJamaica investment threshold from US$150 million to US$15 million. This is a deliberate decision to widen the door for resurgence. At US$15 million a broader universe of strategic investors — local, regional, Diaspora, international — can qualify for the FAST pathway,” the prime minister stated.

    He outlined the transformative potential of the adjusted threshold, noting that even 100 qualifying projects at the new minimum would generate US$1.5 billion in private sector investment, delivered at a much faster pace than traditional government-led projects. This influx of capital would translate to new job opportunities, expanded industrial and institutional capacity, and broad-based economic growth across every region of Jamaica, Holness added.

    Under the FAST framework, designated private-sector led strategic investment projects gain access to a dedicated, streamlined approval process designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape that has long delayed major developments in Jamaica. While NaRRA will not directly deliver these private projects, it will hold a core coordination role to speed up progress across government. “NaRRA will provide the power of expedition — coordinating across agencies, accelerating regulatory approvals, and compressing the enabling environment that a strategic investor needs to commit capital and commence execution,” Holness explained.

    The prime minister pointed to a widespread backlog of stalled projects across Jamaican government agencies, municipalities, and ministries, where many viable proposals have sat waiting for final approvals and clear decisions for months or even years. For projects that meet the new US$15 million threshold, the FAST pathway will change that: investors will receive a clear yes or no decision, secure all required permits and approvals, and be integrated into the coordinated FAST ecosystem administered by NaRRA.

    Holness emphasized that the new framework directly addresses a long-standing problem that has cost Jamaica dearly in lost economic opportunity. For decades, he argued, countless promising, job-creating private sector investments have opted to locate in other countries that offer more agile, faster approval processes, where decisions on major projects are delivered in weeks or months rather than years. “Too many promising, transformational, private sector investments that would create thousands of jobs, generate significant tax revenues, and reshape our economic geography have gone elsewhere. They have gone to countries that are simply more nimble, countries that can say ‘yes’ to strategic investors in weeks or months, not years,” he said.

    In a move to address concerns that speed would come at the cost of transparency and accountability, Holness stressed that the new system will maintain rigorous oversight standards. On the contrary, he claimed, NaRRA will operate with a level of management discipline, transparent reporting, and public accountability that has never been applied to large-scale government infrastructure delivery in Jamaica to date. To enforce this accountability, the recently established Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC) — modeled after the widely respected Economic Programme Oversight Committee — will oversee NaRRA’s operations and ensure it adheres to strict governance standards.

  • WATCH: Swaby hails 2026 Carnival a major success despite shooting incident

    WATCH: Swaby hails 2026 Carnival a major success despite shooting incident

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — The 2026 Kingston Carnival season has been celebrated as a major economic win for the Jamaican capital, even as city leaders grapple with an outbreak of violence that left three people wounded over the weekend. Andrew Swaby, Mayor of Kingston, stressed that the annual celebration delivered widespread growth across multiple local industries, standing by his assessment of the event as a resounding success in spite of the shooting at the popular Big Wall carnival party.

    In an official statement released this week, Swaby emphasized that Carnival has solidified its position as a key economic driver for Kingston, injecting new energy into the city’s urban core and spurring activity across hospitality, retail, transportation and countless small business sectors. “Once again, the event has proven its lasting value, and its growing economic importance to our city cannot be overstated,” Swaby said. “I want to extend my sincere recognition to the mas bands, event organizers, and thousands of patrons who came together to make this year’s celebration a success.”

    Swaby detailed that the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) embedded itself in the planning process from the very beginning, working hand-in-hand with event stakeholders to fine-tune logistics, coordinate public services, and lay the groundwork for smooth execution. This year’s event, he argued, serves as a powerful model for what public-private collaboration can achieve when paired with intentional strategic planning and a shared commitment to delivering a high-quality experience for all attendees.

    Among the most notable improvements highlighted by the mayor was a marked upgrade in waste management and post-event cleanup operations. Swaby reported that city crews cleared parade routes and event spaces far faster than in previous years following the annual road march, cutting down on environmental disruption and returning downtown streets to normal daily use in record time. He called this progress a major milestone, crediting the hard work and dedication of municipal cleaning teams and event staff. To address longstanding concerns about paint stains left on public infrastructure from Carnival activities, organizers and municipal officials tested all paint used in parades and events to ensure formulations could be easily and fully removed after the celebration, a proactive step designed to minimize avoidable disruption to the city.

    Even as leaders celebrated the event’s many wins, they did not shy away from addressing the violent incident that marred the final weekend of the season. Swaby issued a firm condemnation of the shooting at the Big Wall carnival party, which left three people injured: one a bystander, and including popular local podcaster Jaii Frais. Local reports confirm the incident involved music producer Jahvy Ambassador, associates of dancehall artist 450, and Frais, and Jahvy Ambassador has since been taken into police custody. Organizers of the Big Wall event have already issued a public apology for the violence.

    “We unequivocally condemn all acts of violence that took place at this event,” Swaby said. “Our thoughts are with everyone who was injured, and we extend our deepest wishes for a fast and full recovery to all three affected individuals.”

  • Stinking sore at UHWI

    Stinking sore at UHWI

    On Tuesday, Jamaica’s Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) deepened its probe into longstanding mismanagement allegations at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), uncovering fresh troubling evidence of systemic improper governance that has raised serious alarms among lawmakers. The review was launched following the release of a damning special audit report from the auditor general into the public hospital’s daily operations and financial management. What PAC members heard during Tuesday’s hearing left many top committee officials stunned: senior UHWI executives confirmed that the major public health institution carries a staggering $40 billion in unpaid tax obligations to the state, and has not developed any formal structured repayment plan to resolve the massive liability. Compounding this revelation, the hospital continues to operate under a temporary tax compliance certificate, a temporary status that is meant only for entities working to resolve outstanding compliance issues, rather than holding billions in unpaid taxes. The hearing also exposed another contradiction in the hospital leadership’s previous accounts: UHWI executives had previously claimed that severe flooding at the facility destroyed key physical files linked to multiple millions of dollars in awarded contracts, but they walked back that explanation during questioning before the PAC. Lawmakers also pressed executives on reports that an outside private entity was allowed to use UHWI’s official tax-exempt import status to bring goods into the country, resulting in more than $10 million in unpaid customs duties that the public is now forced to absorb. UHWI representatives gave inconsistent, halting responses when asked to explain how the private company gained access to the hospital’s tax-exempt privileges. As one of the Caribbean’s leading public teaching and referral hospitals, the ongoing governance and financial irregularities at UHWI have sparked growing public concern about oversight of state-funded health institutions, and the PAC is expected to continue its review of the audit findings in upcoming hearings, with further questioning of hospital leadership planned.

  • Teenager kills nine, wounds 13 in Turkey school shooting

    Teenager kills nine, wounds 13 in Turkey school shooting

    ISTANBUL — Just 24 hours after a separate school shooting left 16 wounded in southeastern Turkey, a second mass shooting at a middle school in the country’s southern Kahramanmaras province has sent the nation into mourning, leaving nine dead and 13 injured in an attack that upended Turkey’s long history of rare school violence. The shooter, identified by local officials as a 14-year-old eighth-grade student, carried five licensed firearms and seven ammunition magazines belonging to his father, a former police officer, into the school campus on Wednesday morning. What followed was chaos: the teen opened fire indiscriminately across two classrooms, forcing terrified students to leap from first-floor windows to escape the gunfire. Dramatic, AFP-verified footage captured by a nearby resident shows students scrambling across the school courtyard, with roughly 15 gunshots audible across a 90-second clip of the attack.

    Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed that nine people lost their lives in the shooting, and 13 wounded people were rushed to local hospitals, with six patients remaining in intensive care and three in critical condition as of Wednesday evening. The shooter himself died during the incident, and local governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters it remains unclear whether the death was a suicide or an accidental killing amid the chaos of the attack. Law enforcement has since detained the shooter’s father, Ugur Mersinli, for questioning, per reporting from Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency. Video released by Turkey’s private IHA news outlet showed emergency workers evacuating covered bodies from the campus, while dozens of distraught parents gathered outside the school gates waiting for updates on their children. Law enforcement has locked down the campus perimeter, and top Turkish officials including the interior and education ministers traveled to Kahramanmaras to oversee the response, with prosecutors opening an immediate investigation into the incident.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered an official statement on social media platform X, calling the attack an unmitigated tragedy. “In this tragic attack, we unfortunately lost our bright young children and a devoted educator,” he wrote, adding that authorities would fully investigate every detail of the shooting and urging the public not to politicize the national grief. The Wednesday shooting follows a similar attack just one day prior, in Sanliurfa province’s Siverek district, where a former student opened fire with a shotgun at his old high school, wounding 16 people — 10 of them students — before killing himself during a police confrontation. Following the Tuesday attack, law enforcement detained one suspect and suspended four school officials from their posts, and ordered the affected school closed for four days.

    The back-to-back attacks have sparked urgent debate over school safety across Turkey. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel argued that the violence can no longer be written off as a series of isolated events. “At this point, it is clearly evident that violence in schools can no longer be explained by isolated incidents,” Ozel wrote on X. “This issue has turned into a growing and deepening security vulnerability.” He called for immediate implementation of sweeping new security measures, including full access control at all school entry and exit points, increased on-campus security staff, upgraded campus camera systems, more frequent police patrols around school grounds, and updated emergency response plans. “The security of schools is entrusted to our state. No negligence or deficiency in this regard can be excused anymore,” Ozel added.

    Until this week, school shootings have been extremely rare in Turkey, which enforces some of the strictest gun control regulations in the region. All firearms in the country require official licensing, mandatory registration, mental health screenings and criminal background checks for owners, with heavy criminal penalties for unlicensed gun possession. The most recent high-profile school shooting prior to this week occurred in May 2024 in Istanbul, where a expelled former student shot and killed a private high school principal months after he was dismissed from the school.