‘UNINFORMED’ - Global Afrikan Congress rebukes Warmington over slave trade remarks, urges him to do research and apologise The Global Afrikan Congress (GAC) is demanding an apology from parliamentarian Everald Warmington for his “uninformed assertions” that Black Africans who sold people into the transatlantic slave trade should be held more accountable than Europeans buyers. In an open letter to Warmington, the GAC – an international Pan-African organisation of people of African descent across 35 countries – also urged the St Catherine South Western member of parliament (MP) to undertake necessary research to correct his “colonial miseducation”.
Representation row hits tourism transport sector WESTERN BUREAU: A representation dispute has erupted in Jamaica’s tourism ground transportation sector, with the more than 2,000-member JUTA Montego Bay declaring that a government-recognised umbrella organisation has no authority to speak on its behalf. The dispute follows a strongly worded response from the Jamaica Tourism Ground Transportation Association Limited (JTGTA) to JUTA’s recent call for Government intervention to protect Jamaican-owned transportation operators.
Sinclair calls for insurance laws to tackle claims delays Government Senator Charles Sinclair is urging the administration to review the Financial Services Commission and Insurance acts and their regulations to address, among other things, lengthy delays in the settlement of claims. An attorney-at-law, Sinclair lamented the challenges being faced by policyholders and third-party victims when they submit claims to the suppliers of general insurance. He commented on instances in which private and public buildings remain in a state of disrepair owing to delayed payments.
Domestic violence fuel St Catherine South murders Nearly one-third of the murders recorded by the St Catherine South Police so far this year are linked to domestic violence or interpersonal conflicts, the commanding officer for the division has disclosed. Since January 1, a total of 29 murders have been recorded across the communities that fall within the division, nine of which stemmed from domestic violence-related incidents or interpersonal conflicts.
CEDA: Costly shipping, inefficient logistics hurting regional food trade WESTERN BUREAU: The region’s push to boost food and agricultural exports is being held back by high shipping costs, inefficient logistics and fragmented sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, according to the CEO of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA). CEDA head Dr Damie Sinanan said the current shipping system makes it expensive and inefficient to move food between Caribbean territories, with some shipments requiring goods to be routed through Panama, Jamaica, or Miami in the United States before reaching neighbouring markets.
‘Real work starts’ - Green calls for action on Caribbean food barriers as CWA wraps up WESTERN BUREAU Caribbean countries are being urged to dismantle standards barriers that continue to stifle the movement of agricultural and fisheries products across regional borders, as governments push to deepen intra-regional trade and cut dependence on food imports. Jamaica’s Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has identified the harmonisation of standards as one of the major unresolved issues facing the Caribbean’s push to transform its food system.
Deported and defamed - Jamaican rejects US immigration authorities’ characterisation of ‘criminal history’, says charges were dismissed A Jamaican man deported after 12 years in the United States is rejecting allegations by immigration authorities there that he is a violent criminal, insisting that serious criminal charges brought against him were fabricated and ultimately dismissed by a judge. Four days after Altiman Peterkin’s son was born, agents from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him on June 25 in the parking lot of a bank he was visiting to withdraw funds.
Cry for truth - Dervan Malcolm remembered as Jamaicans urged to check the facts in search for ‘both sides of the story’ Jamaica is crying out for truth, Reverend Dr Devon Dick, pastor at Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew, declared yesterday, citing a lack of trust in the community. “Citizens do not think that they can rely on our leaders for the truth,” Dick said as he addressed mourners gathered at the church for the remembrance service for late broadcaster Dervan Malcolm, 50, who died on August 27 after a period of illness.
‘Special kind of evil’ Chief Justice Bryan Sykes said the Kingston painter, who was eligible for the death penalty for murdering Toshyna Patterson and her baby, should really be breathing his last breath in prison – not facing the possibility of one day walking free to enjoy life. Sykes expressed dismay on Friday that 35-year-old David Smith, who took part in the abduction and murder of Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah Paulwell, could eventually serve out his sentence. Paulwell was the daughter of veteran politician Phillip Paulwell.
Mom of slain 20-y-o wanted life sentence for police lover The mother of 20-year-old D’Jonnay Graham, who was shot dead by her police lover in June 2025, has expressed displeasure that he was sentenced for manslaughter, insisting that her beloved daughter was murdered. The victim’s mother, Euon Douglas Graham, was hoping that Constable Patrick Walters would have been sentenced to life imprisonment. “We not pleased and that’s not fair. That’s not manslaughter; that’s murder,” Graham told reporters outside the Supreme Court on Friday.