KINGSTON, Jamaica — The opening day of the 2024 JAAA National Championships got underway at the iconic National Stadium on Thursday, and Edwin Allen High School middle-distance runner Joel Morgan immediately turned heads with a dominant performance in the preliminary rounds of the Under-20 men’s 800-meter event. Crossing the finish line with a comfortable stride, Morgan clocked a qualifying time of 1 minute 54.25 seconds, securing the top seed heading into the upcoming finals. What makes Morgan’s position even more noteworthy ahead of the championships is his standing as the only Jamaican athlete in this division who has already dipped under the 1:50.00 qualifying threshold set for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships. For Morgan, the national finals are far more than just a domestic title race – a strong finish this weekend will all but lock in his spot on Jamaica’s roster for the global under-20 showcase, making his upcoming final one of the most anticipated events of the entire championships. Following Morgan in the qualifying rankings was Rasheed Pryce of Jamaica College, who finished second overall with a time of 1:54.91. Third place went to Thywaine Sterling of William Knibb Memorial High School, who crossed in 1:55.37, while Anthony Dillon of Port Antonio rounded out the top four qualifying slots with a mark of 1:55.63. The action was not limited to the Under-20 division on Thursday, as qualifying also wrapped up for the boys’ Under-18 800-meter race. Ratieo Walters of Titchfield High claimed the top qualifying position with a time of 2:01.41, outpacing the rest of the young field. Tyrece Whyte of Port Antonio High took second in the qualifying rounds with a 2:01.83 clocking, followed by Phillip Palmer of St Jago High at 2:01.48, and Luke Plummer of Sydney Pagon, who secured the final top qualifying slot with a time of 2:02.20. All top qualifiers across both divisions will now advance to the final rounds scheduled for later in the JAAA National Championships, where national titles and international team spots will be on the line.
标签： Jamaica
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LIONS ROAR!
DALLAS, U.S. — England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia on Wednesday, and captain Harry Kane says the turnaround all traces back to a rousing half-time address from head coach Thomas Tuchel that unlocked the side’s attacking potential. The high-stakes group stage clash got off to a chaotic start, with skipper Kane netting two first-half strikes — including one from a retaken penalty — to put England in an early lead, only for the 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia to claw their way back to level the score at 2-2 by the break.
Emerging from the locker room with renewed momentum, England exploded into action at the start of the second half. Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham broke down the wing before firing a precise shot into the bottom corner of the net to restore his side’s lead. As one of the pre-tournament favorites to lift the World Cup trophy, England continued to carve out a string of clear-cut chances through Kane, Bellingham and Nico O’Reilly in the minutes that followed, before substitute Marcus Rashford put the result beyond doubt to seal all three group points.
While the result highlighted England’s devastating attacking quality at its best, the match also exposed defensive frailties in Gareth Southgate’s (note: corrected, per original source: Thomas Tuchel’s) side, particularly during a shaky opening 45 minutes. When asked what shifted after half-time, Kane was quick to praise his manager’s locker room speech. ‘To be honest, he gave a great speech, especially after how we conceded that second goal right before the break,’ Kane told reporters. ‘He just told us to take the shackles off, calm down, and asked us what we were scared of. He told us to just go out and play our game.’
Kane added: ‘The way we conceded that second goal wasn’t the football we want to play as a team — we dropped deep, sat back waiting, and conceded anyway. He basically said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? We lose the first group game, we pick ourselves up, we move on. Let’s go out there and show the world what we can be.’ And I think that’s exactly what we did in the second half.’
Tuchel, the German manager hired to end England’s 60-year wait for a major men’s senior trophy, admitted his side looked jittery and uncharacteristically passive through the first half. Describing the opening 45 minutes as ‘complicated,’ Tuchel said: ‘I could feel the nerves. The decisions we made were too safe — we kept playing too many passes backwards. We struggled to find our rhythm, didn’t have the confidence to play through the gaps, build momentum with short passes, or pull off the switches of play that we work on.’
The manager was far more pleased with his side’s performance after the break, as England controlled proceedings to secure a comfortable win in the end. ‘I love the reaction the players gave in the second half; the second 45 minutes was excellent,’ Tuchel said. ‘We deserved to win, but this was an emotional game, a lot of emotions were flying around, and it took us a while to get going. The fact that we did turn it around, though? That’s a really positive sign moving forward.’
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Dr Peter Phillips appointed executive-in-residence of Mona School of Business and Management
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) at The University of the West Indies has announced a high-profile new addition to its academic leadership network, confirming that veteran Jamaican public servant Dr Peter Phillips will take up the post of executive-in-residence starting June 15, 2026.
With a public service career spanning more than 30 years in Jamaican government, Dr Phillips has built a reputation as one of the nation’s most accomplished policy leaders. He has held multiple senior ministerial portfolios across his career, delivering consistent, impactful results that have earned him widespread recognition. Even global multilateral institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, have publicly praised his exceptional policy-making and economic governance capabilities.
Before his decades-long career in public office, Dr Phillips built a strong foundation in academia as a member of the faculty at The University of the West Indies (UWI). During his early academic tenure, he produced an extensive body of rigorous research and peer-reviewed publications focused on economic development, public governance, and public finance, cementing his expertise across these critical domains.
His contributions to Jamaican public life have been formally honored on multiple occasions: he received the Order of Jamaica (OJ), the nation’s fourth-highest national honor, in 2021 for his distinguished service. He was also named The Gleaner’s Man of the Year in 2015, and earned a dedicated Award for Public Service for his transformative work as Minister of Finance and Planning.
Academically, Dr Phillips’ credentials span top institutions across the Caribbean and North America. He completed his early secondary education at Jamaica College, before earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master of Science in Government from UWI. He went on to obtain a doctorate in International Political Economy from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and most recently received an Honorary Doctor of Economics from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean in 2025.
In a formal statement released this Thursday, MSBM leadership explained that the appointment underscores the institution’s long-standing commitment to bridging academic learning and real-world leadership. The executive-in-residence program is designed to connect students and faculty with seasoned, accomplished leaders from across the public and private sectors, creating opportunities for meaningful cross-sector engagement that nurtures the next generation of global decision-makers.
As part of the voluntary, community-focused role, Dr Phillips will act as a strategic connector between MSBM, Jamaica’s public sector institutions, and the country’s private business community. He will engage directly with students, faculty, and members of the wider Jamaican public to share his decades of on-the-ground expertise, while also contributing to policy-focused research and publications that advance UWI’s core mission and strategic vision.
Dr Phillips is the latest addition to MSBM’s executive-in-residence cohort, joining sitting appointees Leighton McKnight and Harry Smith in the program’s work of giving back to academic and national development.
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Subs send Swiss to World Cup rout of Bosnia-Herzegovina
In a high-stakes Group B World Cup clash played at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on Thursday, two late second-half substitute introductions unlocked a game that had been deadlocked for more than 70 minutes, powering Switzerland to a dominant 4-1 win over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina. The result lifts Switzerland to the top of the group standings with four points, putting them firmly in the driver’s seat to advance to the tournament’s knockout round as one of Group B’s top two finishers.
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‘Help a struggling child’
MONTEGO BAY, St James — At the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre this Tuesday, Jamaica’s State Minister for Education, Skills, Youth and Information Rhoda Moy Crawford has made a direct appeal to members of the global Jamaican Diaspora, emphasizing that grassroots, personal acts of support can deliver just as much impact for vulnerable Jamaicans as large-scale formal government partnerships.
Crawford made her remarks during a panel discussion centered on the theme “Connecting, Engaging and Empowering the Youth Diaspora for National Development”. She pushed back against the common assumption that all Diaspora giving must flow through official government bureaucratic channels, noting that while structured, coordinated initiatives from both her ministry and organized youth groups play a critical role in national development, informal, community-focused acts of giving fill vital unmet needs.
“Your help in the Diaspora, it doesn’t always have to be channelled through the structured systems of government,” Crawford told attendees. “I am saying to you in the Diaspora, you don’t have to channel to Government, you don’t have to wait for partnership, you can return to the community that you came from, you can help a struggling child.”
Crawford clarified that she does not discount the critical value of coordinated Diaspora support during national crises, such as large-scale disaster response. Instead, she argued that even small, individual gestures can create transformative change, particularly for young students grappling with limited access to basic educational resources.
She offered attendees a range of tangible, accessible steps to get involved, from establishing personal named graduation awards to providing direct tuition grants, textbook stipends, or digital devices like tablets to local schools. “You can visit a school in the community you are from — or any other school across Jamaica. You can say to the principal, ‘Hey, I want to give back in a tangible way,’” she suggested.
While Crawford noted that Members of Parliament (MPs) can offer helpful guidance to Diaspora givers seeking to target their support, she stressed that there is no requirement for Diaspora donations to be controlled or managed by elected representatives. Givers can reach out directly to schools, or request contact information for students in need from MPs without ceding control of their funds. She also reminded attendees that MPs already maintain their own dedicated education funding: the Constituency Development Fund allocates $5 million per constituency for educational support initiatives, so independent Diaspora giving is not required to fill gaps covered by existing public resources.
Turning to ongoing recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which swept across Jamaica last October, Crawford highlighted a pressing immediate need for Diaspora support. The storm damaged more than 600 of Jamaica’s over 1,000 public schools, leaving early childhood and primary education institutions particularly hard-hit. While the Ministry of Education and the National Education Trust have accelerated repair work across the island, Crawford said additional support from the Diaspora remains critical to getting all schools fully operational.
She encouraged even the smallest contributions to recovery, noting that basic building materials can make a major difference for under-resourced early childhood institutions. “If you see especially a basic school, an infant school and you want to give back, even before you go [back overseas], you can stop by. You can offer two bags of cement, a load of marl, you never know where your small help can go. No small act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted,” Crawford said.
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Neymar to miss Brazil’s second World Cup game against Haiti
MORRISTOWN, U.S. – As the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage progresses, Brazil’s all-time leading goal scorer Neymar will miss the Seleção’s second Group C clash against Haiti on Friday, after medical and coaching staff opted to let the star continue his rehabilitation from a right calf injury rather than travel with the squad.
The 34-year-old forward only rejoined full team training with the Brazilian national side this week, after being sidelined since late May when his calf injury was first diagnosed. Fitness issues have plagued Neymar throughout the 2024 club season with Santos, limiting him to just half of his club’s competitive matches this year. He also missed Brazil’s opening Group C fixture against Morocco last week, which ended in a 1-1 draw for the five-time world champions.
Prior to this decision, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti had expressed cautious optimism that Neymar would be available to feature at least partially in the Philadelphia match against Haiti. But local Brazilian media reports indicate the coaching hierarchy is unwilling to rush Neymar’s comeback, a move that would put his potential participation in later knockout rounds of the tournament at unnecessary risk.
In an official statement distributed to reporters on Thursday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed that Neymar, who has not represented the Seleção since October 2023, will stay behind in New Jersey to complete the final phase of his recovery program. Brazil will wrap up its group stage play against Scotland in Miami on June 24, with supporters still holding out hope the star will be fit to feature by that critical final group fixture.
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Duckie assumes head coach role at Waterhouse
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A major shakeup has hit Jamaica’s top-flight football scene, as well-respected local coach Donovan Duckie has stepped into the head coaching role at Waterhouse FC. The appointment comes immediately after former Argentine manager Javier Aintein stepped down from the position unexpectedly, leaving a sudden vacancy at the club.
Fresh off his recent resignation from another Jamaican side, Chapelton Maroons, Duckie’s return to Waterhouse marks his third tenure leading the squad. The coach already held the top job at the club for the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2017/2018 seasons, giving him deep existing ties to the organization.
In his first public comments since taking the role, Duckie framed his comeback as a rare privilege. “It is a privilege to return to Waterhouse FC, a club that I have tremendous respect and affection for,” he stated. “I look forward to working with the players, staff and the entire Waterhouse family as we set our sights on achieving our goals together.”
Duckie also extended his gratitude to the club’s leadership for the opportunity, singling out chairman Bruce Bicknell and president Donovan White for entrusting him with the role.
The coach already has a proven track record of success during his previous stints with Waterhouse. In 2013, he guided the team to a second-place finish in the national league, and in 2015 he led the club to qualification for the Caribbean Club Championship.
For Duckie, the club holds far more than professional significance, calling it a second home. “Waterhouse is like a second home for me, and I am forever grateful to the people of the community for the love they have shown me in the past,” he said. He recalled one of the squad’s most memorable near-victories: a 2013 title race that came down to a penalty shootout against Portmore United, where Waterhouse fell just short of the championship but still secured qualification for Concacaf club competition.
While he acknowledges the value of past successes, Duckie emphasized that history will not drive his current work. “But what is important is for me, it’s good to reflect on history, but it counts for nothing in football,” he explained. “So, we must ensure that this club takes its rightful place in the Jamaica Premier League, which is to be champions and to be playing in Concacaf football.”
Describing the appointment as an honour to return to a club with such a deep and decorated history, Duckie said he is eager to hit the ground running. He pledged to bring full effort to every aspect of the role, noting that anything less than 100% would fall short of the expectations the Waterhouse community holds for the team. He closed by urging local fans to turn out in force to support the squad through the upcoming campaign.
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Political appointments?
KINGSTON, Jamaica – During Wednesday’s Sectoral Debate in the country’s House of Representatives, Jamaica’s Opposition Spokesperson on Rural and Community Development Dr. Kenneth Russell has put forward serious allegations of systemic partisan patronage at the nation’s Social Development Commission (SDC), warning that blurred lines between partisan politics and community development risk eroding public trust in the key public institution.
Dr. Russell, a first-term Member of Parliament, told lawmakers that a troubling pattern has emerged: multiple defeated candidates from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have been appointed to top leadership positions at the SDC, a body mandated to drive grassroots community organizing and development across the island. Among the appointees he named are SDC Chairman Hidran McKlusky, Executive Director Omar Frith, and Kingston and St Andrew Parish Manager Wade Brown. All three lost recent electoral contests to candidates from the opposition People’s National Party (PNP): McKlusky was defeated by PNP’s Peter Bunting in the Manchester Southern constituency during the 2025 General Election, Frith lost to Mikael Phillips in Manchester North Western in the same poll, and Brown fell to Oliver Clue in the 2024 Local Government Election for the Harbour View division.
“These are not hidden party volunteers – all of them ran for and lost public office in very recent contests,” Russell told the chamber. “This is a very disconcerting pattern that demands urgent government clarification.” The Opposition spokesperson also called on Rural and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie to provide a full update on the SDC’s current governance status, including whether a fully authorized, properly constituted board is currently in place.
Beyond the controversial appointments, Dr. Russell highlighted long-running staffing shortages that he says have left community services crippled across much of the country. He told Parliament that while three community development liaison officers are supposed to be assigned to the South East St Ann constituency, the post has operated with only a single officer for multiple years. While he acknowledged that recruitment efforts are ongoing, Russell urged the minister to prioritize filling all vacant posts as quickly as possible through a transparent, non-partisan hiring process.
Dr. Russell emphasized that the SDC holds a unique role in Jamaican public life, operating not as a regulatory or enforcement body, but as a neutral facilitator for grassroots participation, local leadership, and collective community action. “Trust is the most valuable currency of community development,” he explained. “When the lines between partisan politics and community-focused work get blurred, the institution’s credibility erodes, public participation drops, and the public trust that makes our work possible dies.”
Looking beyond the current leadership and staffing issues, the Opposition spokesperson called for a sweeping, full review and modernization of the decades-old legislative framework that governs the SDC. The commission currently operates under the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission Act, a law first passed in 1958 and last revised in 1965. Russell argued that the 68-year-old legislation is completely out of step with modern community needs, digital technologies, and evolving public expectations.
“Today’s opportunities, tools, and community aspirations are nothing like what they were when this law was written,” he noted. “The world is changing fast, and the aspirations of Jamaican people are changing even faster, yet too much of our policy thinking around rural and community development remains trapped in outdated assumptions. It sometimes feels like this Government is still playing an outdated children’s game while the rest of Jamaican society has moved on to meet new challenges.”
Dr. Russell rooted his push for reform in the original vision of the commission’s precursor, Jamaica Welfare, founded by Norman Manley in 1939 to drive grassroots development. Manley convinced the banana industry to commit an annual £80,000 investment to the initiative – a sum equal to roughly J$1.49 billion today. By comparison, Russell pointed out, the total SDC budget for 2026 is only J$1.9 billion, despite the country now having more than twice the population it did when the original initiative launched.
“Nearly 90 years have passed since that original, ambitious vision was laid out, and we have to ask hard questions: Have we kept pace with that founding ambition? Have we updated our approach to meet the needs of 21st century Jamaican communities?” Russell asked, closing his call for urgent government action to address both partisan appointments and structural reform of the country’s community development system.
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UTech’s Dominic Williams leads qualifiers for men’s 100m at trials
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ahead of Thursday’s first round of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Senior and Junior Championships, the men’s 100-meter preliminary qualifying round wrapped up Wednesday at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium, with University of Technology (UTech) sprinter Dominic Williams securing the top position in the overall rankings.
In a pre-championship qualifying structure designed to pare down a deep field of contenders, 26 sprinters earned automatic spots in the first round based on their entry submission times. Those pre-qualified athletes will be joined by seven top performers from the 45-man qualifying round, which was held to thin out the remaining field of competitors.
Running in the fifth heat of the qualifying round, Williams crossed the finish line first with a time of 10.31 seconds, posted against a headwind of -0.7 meters per second. That mark was enough to give him the fastest overall qualifying time heading into the first round. Right behind Williams in the overall rankings, two other sprinters matched each other for the second-fastest qualifying time: Ramone Barnswell of the elite MVP Track Club and UTech’s Jeevan Newby, who both clocked 10.33 seconds in the fourth heat, running into a stronger headwind of -2.5 meters per second. Both earned their spots in Thursday’s opening round.
Several other standout sprinters also advanced out of qualifying to join the first round field. De’jaun Strachan, another UTech representative, posted a 10.39-second run (-0.7m/s) to secure his place. Rounding out the advancing athletes are Mario Williams (MVP), Kyle Richards (MVP) and Javoy Tucker of Titans Track Club.
The men’s 100m first round is scheduled to kick off at 6:10 pm local time on Thursday, continuing the annual national championships that serve as a key selection event for Jamaica’s international track and field teams. Reporting by Paul A Reid.
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Horror injury overshadows Canada’s first World Cup win
The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a night of stark contrasts in Vancouver on Thursday, as Canada secured the first men’s World Cup win in its national history with a dominant 6-0 dismantling of Qatar in Group B action — but the historic achievement was overshadowed by a devastating injury to Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone that cast a pall over BC Place Stadium.
The rout was led by Jonathan David, who notched a clinical hat-trick to cement his status as Canada’s standout attacking threat. Cyle Larin opened the scoring for the side in the 16th minute, before David netted two first-half strikes to put Canada firmly in control. Qatar’s evening unraveled early, when defender Homam el-Amin was sent off in the first half, leaving the side a man down before the break. The Qatari numerical disadvantage grew worse just after halftime, when a VAR review upgraded a yellow card for Assim Madibo’s clumsy tackle from behind on Kone to a red card, cutting Qatar down to nine players.
The challenge left Kone, who plies his club trade in Italy, writhing in visible pain on the turf while clutching his left leg. Alarmed teammates immediately signaled for Canadian medical staff to rush onto the pitch, making the severity of the injury clear from the first moments. After receiving on-field treatment, Kone was stretchered off the ground, managing to wave to the packed crowd of home fans while breathing from an oxygen tube as he exited.
Canada took full advantage of their two-man numerical advantage in the second half, extending their lead with three additional goals. Nathan Saliba, the substitute brought on to replace the injured Kone, curled a precise free kick into the back of the net in the 64th minute to push the score to 4-0. In a moving show of solidarity for his injured teammate, Saliba raced straight to the touchline after scoring and held up a replica of Kone’s Canadian national team jersey. A second substitute Jacob Shaffelburg then forced Qatar defender Mohammad Manai into an own goal in the 87th minute, when his powerful strike deflected off Manai and past the Qatari goalkeeper. David closed out the historic rout, completing his hat-trick in the second minute of stoppage time to cap the 6-0 scoreline. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance at the stadium, cheering on the Canadian side, nicknamed “Les Rouges”, throughout the match.
Now after their opening win, Canada sits atop Group B in a strong position to advance. The side only needs a draw in their final group stage match against Switzerland to secure first place in the group, putting them on track for a knockout stage berth in their World Cup campaign.