EX-COP ARRESTED AT AIRPORT The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) says it will this week provide a comprehensive account of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and murder charge laid against former policeman Odain Williams, who was removed from a departing flight last week. The Gleaner understands that Williams was detained after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ruled that he should be charged with murder in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred while he was a serving member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Blood shortage forces choices between patients, says NBTS chief A senior health official is warning that critically low blood supplies at the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) are putting lives at risk, with current stocks at just half the level needed to meet demand. In a candid interview with The Gleaner on Monday, Dr Kamille West-Mitchell, director of the NBTS, said the shortage means some patients are being denied urgently needed blood transfusions. “Every day or night or weekend, there is somebody who needs it and did not get it because we don’t have it,” she said.
Former constable loses JCF fight - Privy Council tosses appeal for reinstatement Former police Constable Joel Lewis was left disappointed after the Privy Council ruled that his challenge to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s refusal to re-enlist him three years ago raised no arguable point of law. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in a decision last month, refused Lewis’ permission to appeal, ending his attempt to overturn the decision that prevented him from pursuing judicial review of his discharge from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Jamaica needs ‘a new kind of emancipation’, says Pastor Brevitt WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaicans prepare to celebrate Emancipendence 2026, outspoken Seventh-day Adventist pastor Charles Brevitt is challenging the nation to pursue a new kind of emancipation – one that frees citizens from violence, moral decay, greed and spiritual complacency. “We need a new kind of emancipation,” said Brevitt, while delivering the sermon at the St James Municipal Corporation’s Emancipation and Independence Church Service, held at the Norwood Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday.
J'cans in US Northeast look forward to working with CG Mair NEW YORK: Oliver Mair, who has served as Jamaica’s consul general in Miami, Florida, for the past seven years, has been tapped to be the new consul general in New York. Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith made the announcement in a news release on Monday. Mair is expected to assume his new role by mid-August. Speaking with The Gleaner, he thanked his fellow Jamaicans in the Southern United States for their unwavering support during his Miami posting, adding that he is looking forward to his new appointment.
Vernon calls for unity, decisive leadership ahead of Emancipendence WESTERN BUREAU: History will judge today’s generation not by its intentions, but by its actions, according to Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, who is challenging Jamaicans to embrace resilience, unity and decisive leadership ahead of the nation’s Emancipation and Independence celebrations. Vernon, who was speaking at the St James Municipal Corporation’s Emancipation and Independence Thanksgiving Service on Saturday, said the twin observances should inspire Jamaicans to recommit themselves to nation-building.
DAISY blooms at AMH Andrews Memorial Hospital (AMH) has officially launched The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, becoming The DAISY Foundation’s first partner hospital in Jamaica. The programme was introduced during a special ceremony at the hospital earlier this month, marking a significant step in AMH’s commitment to recognising nurses whose compassion, clinical excellence and dedication make a lasting difference in the lives of patients and their families.
PNP breaks silence on leaked audio One week after a damaging audio recording became public, in which the voices of two alleged People’s National Party (PNP) officials could be heard discussing ways to discredit Major General Antony Anderson in his role as head of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the party has broken its silence on the matter. The issue was the first item on the agenda at a meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) on Sunday. The meeting is usually the last such gathering before the party’s annual conference in September, provided there is a conference.
‘AI not the problem’ - Artificial intelligence expert warns CXC preparing students for ‘a world that no longer exists’ WESTERN BUREAU: The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is preparing students for “a world that no longer exists”, by scrapping traditional School-Based Assessments (SBA) over artificial intelligence, says AI expert Christopher Christie, who argues that the move takes Caribbean education backwards. For nearly half a century, the SBA has been a cornerstone of Caribbean secondary education, challenging students to research, analyse and apply what they have learnt beyond the confines of an examination room.
New home, new hope for single father and twins WESTERN BUREAU: Nine months after Hurricane Melissa destroyed several homes in Flanker, St James, a United States-based philanthropic organisation has stepped forward, investing thousands of US dollars to help vulnerable residents rebuild their homes. One of the beneficiaries of the GrassROOTS Community Foundation’s generosity is Theodore Notise, who became a single father raising twin boys after their mother died. Earlier this year, he received the keys to a one-bedroom, concrete studio apartment, replacing the one-room board house he lost to the Category 5 hurricane.