8 parishes on alert as rains trigger landslides, flooding Heavy rainfall triggered a major landslide that left 15 students and several teachers stranded at Johnson Mountain Primary School in St Thomas on Friday, as blocked roads, fallen trees and flooding disrupted sections of the parish and the Meteorological Service issued a flash flood watch for eight parishes. The watch, which remains in effect until 5 p.m. on Sunday, covers low-lying and flood-prone areas of St Ann, St Mary, Portland, St Thomas, Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and Clarendon.
GROUNDED The People’s National Party (PNP) is questioning whether the Government’s ban on official overseas travel is a genuine cost-cutting measure or a public relations exercise, given millions of dollars committed to the newly established National Agency for Reconstruction and Resilience (NaRRA). The moratorium, announced in an October 21 memorandum from Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness to government ministers and ministers of state, took effect immediately and will remain in place until March 31, 2027.
What to know about AI-detected Internet security bug AP: The language that’s known as the backbone of the Internet is now subject to what experts describe as one of the most notable vulnerabilities in recent memory. PHP is a widely used general-purpose scripting language that is geared toward web development, and thus, it powers the majority of websites around the world. When the organisation behind the language and the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ cyber division warned Wednesday of significant vulnerabilities in the language, government agencies, corporations and other organisations were sent into a flurry.
... But Bartlett takes flight Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett left the island on Friday for a five-city tour of Canada aimed at wooing more Canadian visitors to Jamaica in the upcoming winter tourism season. Bartlett will visit Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal as he targets some 400,000 Canadian airline seats for the 2026-2027 winter tourism season. He is being accompanied by Director of Tourism Donavan White and representatives of the Jamaica Tourist Board.
What’s going on with Dan Sullivan and Dan Sullivan? The Associated Press: United States President Donald Trump’s administration has taken its first step to block the results of a midterm election, and it’s all about the fact that there are two Dan Sullivans on the Alaska Senate ballot. One of them is a Republican and ally of the president. The other is a retired school teacher whom Republicans accuse of being a Democratic plant to siphon away votes. Trump said Friday that he directed the Justice Department to file its lawsuit. What is going on? Here’s an explanation:
Morgan wants criminal sanctions for defamation Government senator Marlon Morgan has called for the reintroduction of criminal sanctions for defamation in Jamaica. Making his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Upper House on Friday, Morgan took aim at the parliamentary Opposition and those he referred to as their surrogates and supporters on social media, blasting them for tarnishing people’s reputation. He warned that the misinformation and disinformation being peddled by these persons serve to undermine the country’s democracy.
Barnswell applies to join Clarendon MC court battle The People’s National Party (PNP) has taken another step in the legal battle over the leadership of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC), filing an application in the Supreme Court to have Councillor Scean Barnswell joined as a party to ongoing proceedings involving Mayor Joel Williams and Deputy Mayor Clive Mundle. In a statement issued Friday, the PNP confirmed that the application was filed on October 21, 2026, as the party seeks to challenge the legal intervention that has prevented councillors from moving to change the corporation’s leadership.
Second JP backs claim Ruddock was not forced to give statement A second justice of the peace (JP) on Friday testified that Andre Ruddock voluntarily gave police a statement in which he allegedly confessed to cutting Taneka Gardner’s throat. The witness corroborated earlier testimony from a colleague that Ruddock was not forced, threatened or harmed, nor offered any inducement to give the caution statement, on October 18, 2021 – a day after Gardner was killed in an alleged sacrificial ritual at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in St James.
SHAKE-UP FOR SCHOOL BOARDS - Independent directors to get pay in new pilot; ministry to target skills, performance In a push to strengthen governance across Jamaica’s school system, the Ministry of Education is moving to recruit board members based on schools’ specific needs and introduce payment for independent directors through a pilot programme. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Dr Adrian Stokes, chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee, said the aim is to improve the composition, effectiveness, and performance of school boards.
Western businesses urged to get aboard NaRRA train WESTERN BUREAU: Western Jamaica’s business community is being urged to position itself for what could become the largest infrastructure spending programme in the country’s history, with NCB Capital Markets Chief Executive Officer Angus Young describing the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for entrepreneurs.