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  • St Mary contractor found dead, police investigating suspected suicide

    St Mary contractor found dead, police investigating suspected suicide

    ST MARY, Jamaica — Law enforcement agencies in Jamaica’s northern parish of St Mary have launched an official investigation into the death of a local construction professional, a case that local authorities are treating as the fifth suspected suicide recorded in the region since the start of the year. The 43-year-old victim, Oneero Roberts, who went by the nickname “Anif”, was a resident of the Comsee neighborhood in Highgate, a market town located in the heart of the parish.

    Per official police accounts, the grim discovery was made on an unspecified date in recent weeks after a close family member grew concerned when they detected an unusual putrid smell emanating from the overgrown bushy area at the rear of Roberts’ private property. Just after 10:00 a.m. local time, the relative ventured to the back of the land to trace the source of the odor, where they made the tragic finding.

    Investigators confirmed that Roberts’ body was located hanging from a tree in the thickly vegetated plot, and that the remains had already begun to partially decompose by the time they were discovered. Emergency response teams were called to the scene to retrieve the body, which has since been moved for a formal post-mortem examination to confirm the exact cause and timeline of death.

    Local policing officials have confirmed that this death marks the fifth suspected suicide to be recorded in St Mary parish in 2024, a statistic that has already raised quiet concern among local public health and community welfare stakeholders. As of the latest update, investigators from the St Mary Police Force are continuing their procedural inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Roberts’ death, with no further details released to the public at this stage.

  • Speaker Holness participating in ParlAmericas Assembly in Canada

    Speaker Holness participating in ParlAmericas Assembly in Canada

    OTTAWA, Canada – Jamaica’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, Juliet Holness, is currently carrying out an official working visit to Canada, where she is taking part in two key regional parliamentary gatherings hosted in the nation’s capital: the 22nd ParlAmericas Plenary Assembly and the 10th Gathering of the Open Parliament Network. The five-day events, running from May 18 to 22, are convened under the central theme “Parliamentary Leadership for Shared Prosperity: Advancing Trade, Innovation, and Security in a Changing World”.

    This year’s gatherings have drawn hundreds of parliamentary leaders and elected delegates from every corner of the Americas, creating a collaborative space to address pressing cross-cutting issues ranging from inclusive regional development to the reinforcement of democratic governance across the hemisphere. Holness is joined on the trip by Colleen Lowe, Clerk to the Houses of Jamaica, who will support her engagement throughout the scheduled activities.

    Over the course of the assembly, Holness is set to contribute to a full slate of high-level dialogues and structured parliamentary discussions. Key topics on her agenda include expanding hemispheric and regional trade integration, advancing open parliament transparency initiatives, progressing toward United Nations-led sustainable development goals, boosting youth inclusion in political processes, and shoring up the institutional foundations of democratic governance across the region.

    Beyond her forum participation, Holness has a scheduled formal courtesy call with Francis Scarpaleggia, the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. During that bilateral meeting, the two legislative leaders will focus their talks on deepening existing parliamentary cooperation ties between the governments of Jamaica and Canada, exploring new areas for mutual collaboration.

    In prepared remarks ahead of the conference, Holness emphasized Jamaica’s long-standing dedication to strengthening democratic governance at home and expanding collaborative partnerships across the Americas. “Jamaica’s participation in the ParlAmericas Assembly reflects our continued commitment to strengthening democratic governance and advancing regional cooperation,” she said. “These discussions are especially important as we work collectively to address shared challenges and build resilient and sustainable societies.”

    Following the conclusion of all scheduled events in Ottawa, Holness is projected to return to her home jurisdiction in Jamaica on May 24, 2026.

  • UK, Jamaica and India unite through football ahead of Unity Cup 2026 in London

    UK, Jamaica and India unite through football ahead of Unity Cup 2026 in London

    KINGSTON, Jamaica – A unique cross-continental collaboration between three diplomatic and sporting institutions has laid the groundwork for the highly anticipated 2026 Unity Cup, an international football tournament designed to celebrate cultural exchange and strengthen bonds between global diaspora communities. The British High Commission in Jamaica, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), and the High Commission of India in Jamaica have jointly thrown their support behind the 2026 tournament, which leverages the unifying power of football to connect diverse communities across the United Kingdom, Jamaica, and India.

    Scheduled to kick off from May 26 to 30 at The Valley, the home ground of Charlton Athletic FC in London, the Unity Cup returns in 2026 as a flagship gathering of international football and diaspora culture. This year’s edition expands the competition to a four-nation format, bringing together representative teams from Jamaica, India, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe to compete for the cup.

    Jonathan Cook, Deputy British High Commissioner to Jamaica, opened the official partnership announcement by expressing enthusiasm for both the tournament’s return and Jamaica’s repeated participation in the event. “The UK is delighted to once again host the Unity Cup, bringing together football, friendship and diaspora communities,” Cook noted. He emphasized the deep longstanding ties between Jamaica and the UK, pointing out that Jamaica hosts one of the largest Caribbean diaspora populations across the United Kingdom. “We know there will be incredible support for the Reggae Boyz in London. We’re wishing the team and the Jamaica Football Federation every success. Go Reggae Boyz,” he added.

    Echoing Cook’s remarks, Hansraj Chhilwar, Head of Chancery at the High Commission of India in Jamaica, underscored the unique role of sport in building cross-border and cross-community connections. “We’re looking forward to the energy, passion and excitement that football fans will bring to the Unity Cup,” Chhilwar said. He shared that while cricket remains the most beloved sport in India, football has been growing at an extraordinary pace, particularly among young Indian people. “Sport is a powerful bridge between nations and communities, including the vibrant Indian communities in Jamaica and the UK. Wishing everyone a fantastic tournament. Go Indian Blue Tigers,” he stated.

    JFF President Michael Ricketts expressed immense excitement about Jamaica’s return to the tournament, noting that the team’s strong performance in the 2025 edition has built momentum for this year’s participation. “We are just excited at another opportunity to participate in the Unity Cup 2026. Last year we did so very well and that would have given us some kind of a catalyst, some kind of a vibe to again get involved in a competition that I thought was nicely organised and very well run,” Ricketts explained.

    He added that the 2026 lineup, which features new competing nations India and Zimbabwe alongside the existing participants, adds extra excitement to the tournament for Jamaica’s squad. “That in itself is an added incentive to be very excited and to want to be part of this Unity Cup. So, I’m going to encourage all of the diaspora in South London and maybe even outside of South London to come out, give us some support, build a vibe and let’s support the other teams and of course give as much as we can to our Jamaican team generally the Unity Cup,” Ricketts said.

    For Kaheim Dixon, a forward for the Reggae Boyz who currently plays for host club Charlton Athletic FC, the tournament carries extra personal meaning, and he is expecting an electric atmosphere at his home ground. “In Southeast London, where the Jamaicans are, it’s gonna be buzzing in The Valley. Winning the Unity Cup would be good for the country, and we as the players, you know the family that’s who we doing it for. London, we coming,” Dixon shared.

    The tournament’s kickoff will feature a blockbuster opening semi-final, with Jamaica set to face off against India. The winner of that match will advance to the final to compete against the winner of the second semi-final between Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Held in London, a city home to large, vibrant diaspora communities from all four participating nations, the Unity Cup has evolved into a critical platform for celebrating shared cultural heritage, the unifying joy of sport, and cross-community friendship.

    To mark this year’s partnership, the three collaborating organizations have launched a dynamic social media campaign. The campaign features key representatives from each institution in football-themed content to rally support for all participating teams and communities ahead of the tournament.

  • Rose Heights Community Centre selected as St James’ Labour Day Project

    Rose Heights Community Centre selected as St James’ Labour Day Project

    ST JAMES, Jamaica — Local authorities in Jamaica’s St James parish have confirmed a major priority project for this year’s national Labour Day, tapping the flood- and storm-ravaged Rose Heights Community Centre as the parish’s flagship 2026 improvement initiative.

    While Jamaica observes Labour Day annually on May 23, the national holiday will be marked on Monday, May 25 this year because the actual date falls on a weekend.

    Montego Bay Mayor and Councillor Richard Vernon, who made the official announcement, shared that the selection followed weeks of careful consultations and on-site assessments of multiple community facilities across the parish. The Rose Heights site emerged as the clear top choice for several key reasons, most notably its large and consistent user base spanning the Rose Heights, Rosemount, and adjacent neighborhoods that rely on the space for regular community gatherings and events.

    This year’s national Labour Day focus is centered on upgrading public spaces, with a specific emphasis on community facilities that can serve as formal emergency shelters during natural disasters — a mandate that aligns perfectly with the plan for the Rose Heights centre. The Jamaican national government has already moved forward with a policy shift to end the longstanding practice of using primary and secondary schools as emergency hurricane shelters, a change designed to cut down on disruptive closures and learning interruptions for students across the island.

    “The St James Municipal Corporation is pleased to announce that the Rose Heights Community Centre will be the focus of the parish’s Labour Day this year,” Vernon shared in his statement. He noted that the facility suffered severe structural damage when Hurricane Melissa swept across the region last October, making targeted rehabilitation work a critical local need. “The intention is to ensure that it is rehabilitated with hurricane resistant capabilities,” he added. Once the upgrades are complete, the centre will be officially added to St James’ roster of approved emergency shelters, with renovations designed to bring it fully in line with national safety and infrastructure criteria for storm protection.

    Beyond the flagship project, Vernon urged local residents across St James to participate in either the Rose Heights initiative or any other registered Labour Day project that aligns with their community interests, emphasizing that collective volunteer effort drives meaningful local improvement. As of the pre-holiday deadline of May 18, the St James Municipal Corporation had registered 286 independent community projects for this year’s Labour Day, ranging from park cleanups and public space beautification to the repainting of pedestrian crossings and the rehabilitation of other small community buildings.

    In a separate announcement related to this year’s national observances, all preparations have been finalized for the annual floral tribute to Jamaican National Hero Samuel Sharpe, scheduled to take place as planned on the actual date of Labour Day, Saturday May 23, in Montego Bay’s Sam Sharpe Square. The ceremony, set to kick off at 8:00 a.m., marks the 194th anniversary of Sharpe’s execution by hanging in the same square in 1832, honoring his role as a leader in the movement that ended chattel slavery across the British Empire.

  • Teenagers included in Reggae Boyz team for Unity Cup

    Teenagers included in Reggae Boyz team for Unity Cup

    KINGSTON, Jamaica – Interim head coach Rudolph Speid has shaken up Jamaica’s national football team roster, revealing a youth-centric 24-man squad on Wednesday for the upcoming Unity Cup, scheduled to kick off later this month in London. The squad turns a spotlight on emerging talent, with five teenagers earning spots – headlined by 16-year-old Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri, a prospect from the Manchester City academy who receives his first senior call-up to the Reggae Boyz.

    Joining Cadamarteri in the young cohort are two Under-20 national team regulars: goalkeeper Joshua Grant and defender Marlon Van de Wetering, who currently plies his club trade in the Netherlands. Rounding out the teenage selections are 19-year-olds forward Nick Simmonds and defender Odin Samuels-Smith, both of whom earned their places after impressing coaching staff in recent youth competitions.

    While the roster prioritizes fresh faces, it also leans on veteran experience to anchor the young group. The squad will be led by seasoned defender Damion Lowe, who brings 80 senior international caps to the table, making him the most experienced player in the group. Seven players based in Jamaica’s domestic leagues have also earned call-ups, highlighting the depth of talent developing in the country’s local football system.

    The tournament structure has four teams competing for the Unity Cup title. Jamaica will kick off their campaign against India in the first semi-final on May 27, hosted at Charlton Athletic’s stadium. A day earlier, three-time champions Nigeria will face Zimbabwe in the second semi-final at the same venue. The two semi-final winners will advance to the final on May 30, while the losing sides will face off in a third-place play-off ahead of the championship match.

    For Jamaica, the 2025 tournament offers a chance at redemption: the Reggae Boyz reached the Unity Cup final last year, only to fall to Nigeria, who secured their third title with the win. This year’s young roster presents an opportunity for new talent to gain valuable international experience against high-level competition, while testing Jamaica’s ability to compete with the tournament’s top sides.

  • Radio station ‘sorry’ after mistakenly announcing death of King Charles

    Radio station ‘sorry’ after mistakenly announcing death of King Charles

    LONDON — A historic British former pirate radio outlet has issued a formal public apology after an unexpected technical glitch triggered a deeply awkward false report that King Charles III had passed away.

    In an official statement posted to social media, Radio Caroline confirmed the error occurred on Tuesday afternoon, tracing the mistake back to an unanticipated computer malfunction at the station’s main studio based in Maldon, located in the eastern English county of Essex.

    According to station manager Peter Moore, the computer bug automatically activated the UK broadcasting industry’s pre-planned “death of a monarch” protocol — a standardized contingency plan that every British radio outlet maintains out of requirement, even as all hope they never need to put it into practice.

    Once the protocol kicked in, Radio Caroline automatically went off air per the guidelines of the procedure, which ended up alerting on-site staff that something had gone wrong. Teams quickly moved to restore regular programming and deliver an immediate on-air apology to listeners, Moore explained in his Facebook post.

    Moore emphasized that the station has a long-standing positive relationship with the British royal family, noting that Radio Caroline has proudly broadcast the monarch’s traditional annual Christmas Day address for decades — first airing the message for the late Queen Elizabeth II, and continuing the tradition under the current King. “We hope to continue carrying the Christmas broadcast for many years to come,” he added.

    The station manager extended a direct apology to both King Charles III and Radio Caroline’s audience, writing: “We apologise to HM the king and to our listeners for any distress caused.”

    The incident unfolded on the same day that the king and Queen Camilla were undertaking an official visit to Northern Ireland, where the royal couple even took part in a public performance with a local Irish folk group.

    While Radio Caroline’s initial statement did not specify how much time passed before staff identified and corrected the error, UK domestic news agency Press Association reported that by Wednesday afternoon, audio recordings of Tuesday’s broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm remained unavailable to stream on the station’s official website.

    Founded back in 1964, Radio Caroline first launched as a pirate radio operation designed to break the BBC’s long-held monopoly over British radio broadcasting. For its first decades on air, the station operated from repurposed ships anchored off the coast of England, outside UK territorial waters to avoid existing broadcasting regulations.

    When the British government passed new anti-pirate radio legislation in 1967 that forced the majority of unlicensed offshore broadcasters to shut down, Radio Caroline managed to stay on air intermittently for decades, finally ending its offshore ship-based broadcasts in 1990 before transitioning to legal licensed operation.

    The legacy of Radio Caroline and other 1960s British pirate radio stations went on to shape popular culture, serving as the core inspiration for the 2009 comedy feature film *The Boat that Rocked*. Directed by Richard Curtis, the film starred A-list actors Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman, following a ragtag group of eccentric DJs living and broadcasting from an offshore pirate radio ship in the North Sea.

  • WATCH: Swaby hits back at Morgan over road funding criticism

    WATCH: Swaby hits back at Morgan over road funding criticism

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — A sharp public conflict has erupted between Kingston’s top municipal leader and a national government minister over the controversial proposed One Road Authority, with accusations of personal attacks and unaddressed infrastructure funding crises taking center stage.

    The dispute began when Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby publicly raised pressing questions during a May 13 sitting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC). Swaby argued that key details about the new authority remain undisclosed, specifically whether the institutional shift would resolve the chronic underfunding that has left local bodies unable to properly maintain and repair the road networks under their jurisdiction. He doubled down on the claim that local authorities consistently operate without budget allocations large enough to meet their road management mandates.

    That criticism drew a swift rebuke this week from Robert Nesta Morgan, the Jamaican minister with oversight for public works. Morgan dismissed Swaby’s comments as contradictory and factually inaccurate, calling for pushback on what he framed as misleading claims from the municipal leadership.

    But in his response to Morgan’s public criticism, Swaby has accused the minister of relying on a pattern of personal aggression to deflect legitimate policy scrutiny. The mayor argued that Morgan’s outburst fits a long-standing pattern: whenever a public figure raises constructive criticism of government policy, Morgan responds with personal attacks rather than substantive policy debate. As evidence, Swaby cited a 2023 incident where he claims Morgan attempted to publicly embarrass Opposition Leader Mark Golding after Golding raised concerns about Jamaica’s solid waste management crisis.

    At the core of Swaby’s questioning is an urgent demand for clarity: will the newly proposed One Road Authority actually deliver increased financial resources to local authorities like KSAMC, which manages 70 percent of all roads across the Kingston and St Andrew region?

    The mayor laid bare the stark scope of the funding gap facing his administration, revealing that KSAMC receives an average of just JMD 85 million per month from parochial revenue funds to cover all road-related work across the parishes. That allocation falls far short of what is needed: individual road repairs in the region cost between JMD 6.5 million and JMD 8 million apiece, meaning the current monthly budget only allows the municipal corporation to repair between 10 and 13 roads — despite there being 40 municipal divisions across Kingston and St Andrew that require constant maintenance.

    Complicating the budget crunch further, Swaby explained that the 85 million monthly allocation is not dedicated solely to road work. The funds must also cover hurricane disaster preparedness, public employment programs, and a wide range of other core municipal responsibilities. Even if the entire monthly budget were redirected to road repairs, he added, it would still not meet the overwhelming maintenance needs of the region’s road network. Swaby also noted that KSAMC often carries out unbudgeted repairs on roads formally overseen by the National Works Agency (NWA) in downtown Kingston’s busy commercial districts, stretching the already thin budget even further.

    Beyond the One Road Authority debate, Swaby also called attention to the unfair distribution of property tax revenue across Jamaican government bodies. He revealed that local authorities receive only 7.5 percent of all total property tax collections, with the bulk of funds directed instead to the National Solid Waste Management Authority. The mayor closed his remarks with a call for collaborative, substantive policy dialogue, urging Morgan to abandon personal attacks and work alongside elected officials to address the pressing infrastructure needs of Jamaican citizens.

    “I’m not satisfied with the state of roads in Kingston and St Andrew and that is the reason why I am speaking up,” Swaby said. “We were both elected to serve in the best interests of Jamaicans. Let us spend our time doing that, other than calling names or describing persons.”

  • 41 injured in toll road crash, police say

    41 injured in toll road crash, police say

    CLARENDON, Jamaica — A major traffic accident left at least 41 people with injuries on a Wednesday morning in central Jamaica, after a passenger coaster bus crashed into a concrete road median, local law enforcement confirmed in an official statement to Observer Online.

    Emergency responders and police were dispatched to the crash site, located at the traffic stoplight intersection marking the May Pen entrance to the Williamsfield Toll Road, shortly after the collision was reported at 7:57 a.m. local time.

    In the hours following the incident, visual documentation of the crash spread widely across social media platforms. The shared images and footage show the yellow passenger bus heavily damaged, with its front end compressed against the solid concrete median after the impact.

    As of the latest update from local authorities, investigators have not yet been able to verify whether a second vehicle was involved in triggering the collision. Emergency medical teams have transported all injured individuals to nearby medical facilities for treatment, though no update on the severity of their injuries has been released to the public as of this reporting.

  • Jamaican actress Kenturah Hamilton stars in drama series ‘Through Thick & Sin’

    Jamaican actress Kenturah Hamilton stars in drama series ‘Through Thick & Sin’

    For Jamaican creative Keturah Hamilton, years of hard work in the entertainment industry are culminating in a deeply personal new project: the upcoming vertical drama series *Through Thick & Sin*, which she created, co-wrote, and stars in. Production on the series kicked off this past April, with a 2026 premiere date locked in for the hotly anticipated project.

    The series centers on a tight-knit trio of childhood friends whose entertainment careers have ground to a frustrating standstill: one works as a model, another as a singer, and the third as an actress. Fed up with stagnation and hungry to build the lives they believe they deserve, the three women hatch an unconventional plan: they launch a custom website designed to connect with lonely, connection-seeking men craving attention and an escape from their daily struggles. Joining Hamilton in the main cast are Thomasina Gross, who takes on the role of Wendy, and Tara Joshi, who portrays the third member of the friend group, Tiffany. Hamilton herself leads the cast as Naomi, the series’ resilient core, and says the role allows her to showcase her Jamaican heritage in a refreshingly authentic way that has rarely been seen on screen.

    Helming the director’s chair is Patricia Cuffie-Jones, an accomplished television writer and director who has already earned an Emmy nomination for her work in the industry. Cuffie-Jones brings extensive experience to the project, having previously directed well-received television movies including *His, Hers & Ours* starring noted actor Taye Diggs and the holiday feature *Brewster’s Millions: Christmas*. She also joins Hamilton and writer Stevie Sandoval as a co-writer on the series, sharing writing credits with the pair for the show’s story and scripts.

    A native of Spanish Town, Jamaica, Hamilton migrated to the United States as a teenager and cut her teeth in the entertainment industry working as a professional model before pivoting to on-screen acting. She has built up a steadily impressive resume of on-screen credits in the years since her move, including guest roles on NBC’s hit medical drama *New Amsterdam*, a supporting turn in the political thriller *Gaslit* opposite Sean Penn, and a role in the feature film *Nanny*, where she shared the screen with entertainment icons Phylicia Rashad, best known for *The Cosby Show*, and Leslie Uggams, who originated the iconic role of Kizzy in the original *Roots* miniseries.

    For Hamilton, taking on three distinct roles on the project — creator, writer, and lead actress — has been an unparalleled creative opportunity that allowed her to shape every layer of the story from its initial concept to its on-screen execution. “I was fortunate to land the role not only as an actress, but also as the creator and one of the writers of the project alongside Patricia Cuffie-Jones and Stevie Sandoval,” she explained in an interview with Jamaica Observer Online. “Bringing this story to life from the ground up has been an incredible experience.”

    The series is produced by Phillmonaco Productions, a Los Angeles-based independent production company that backed Hamilton’s creative vision for the project. As of the latest announcements, distribution details for the series are still being finalized and will be shared with the public at a later date, leaving entertainment audiences waiting eagerly for more updates on the unique new drama.

  • Man reportedly beheaded in Westmoreland

    Man reportedly beheaded in Westmoreland

    Residents of the quiet rural district of Retreat, located in Jamaica’s Westmoreland parish, are reeling from a brutal, early Wednesday morning murder that has left the tight-knit community in disbelief. According to initial police and resident accounts, the violent attack unfolded as 40-something year-old local laborer Vinroy Holmes rested in his own home, with the attacker killing and beheading him while he slept. By Wednesday morning, official crime scene investigation teams had already been dispatched to the property to secure evidence, conduct forensic examinations, and reconstruct the sequence of the horrific attack. Local authorities have not yet released further details about possible motives for the killing, potential persons of interest, or updates related to the ongoing investigative process. Law enforcement officials have indicated that additional official information will be made public as the investigation progresses, and the community remains on edge waiting for answers to the senseless act of violence that shattered their normally quiet neighborhood.