Having long backed policies to combat high rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), The Gleaner supports the government’s decision to impose a special consumption tax (SCT) on pre-packaged sweetened beverages. It has been long in coming. However...
“My salary is $150,000 monthly at the Infant School. I really love the children but I can’t stay there. I have a child with special needs and rent is $70,000 for one room since the storm. “Her school expenses and my taxi fares leave very little...
Almost four months after Hurricane Melissa, Jamaicans have begun the long process of rebuilding, even as some communities continue to grapple with the compounded devastation of storm damage and entrenched poverty. In the immediate aftermath,...
The resurgence of the geopolitical battle between the United States and China present both challenges and opportunities for Jamaica's bauxite/alumina sector. The US, in attempting to rebuild parts of its primary aluminium smelting capacity, is...
Almost four months after Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, the headlines are understandably moving away from response priorities. Electricity is returning, and daily life is resuming, but for thousands of Jamaican children, the storm is far from...
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island with a land mass of 42,426 square miles, and a population of 11.6 million in 2024. Life expectancy was 78.6 in 2025, with the female rate at 81 and the male at 76.3. This was up from 63.3 in 1960 and 67.9 in...
A glass of sorrel, not laced with lethal ginger as we are accustomed on the Island. This is not Ghana or Kenya, where some Jamaicans do not even recognise it, because of its local name. Hibiscus is what is on the label of bottles or packages. Its...
The Government announced the introduction of a new Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on non-alcoholic sweetened beverages. It is expected to raise $10.1 billion during the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Ostensibly, this SCT will deter the public from consuming...
The Lunar New Year galloped in last Tuesday. This Year of the Fire Horse, according to Chinese beliefs, symbolises energy, independence, endurance, and loyalty, reflecting the qualities of the noble creature. The Chinese zodiac cycles through 12...
Nine months ago, Pembroke Hall High School in St Andrew was in the spotlight for a crisis that affects too many of Jamaica’s secondary schools. More than seven in 10 of its grade-seven intake either couldn’t read, or did so by as many as four...
If US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accepts the invitation to attend the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St Kitts and Nevis, his presence should be treated as being consequential. It would offer an opportunity to recalibrate the...
Not surprisingly, Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ recent appointment of Everald Warmington as one of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) two members of the Electoral Commission of the Jamaica (ECJ) has evoked questions about the prime minister’s...
Jamaica is experiencing far too many fatal incidents involving persons of unsound mind. Even one case would be too many, but it is alarming how often lives are lost due to the actions of unsupervised persons who are known to be mentally unstable....
The recent reporting on an alleged property-fraud scheme involving fake identification and stolen land titles has unsettled property owners across Jamaica – and rightly so. While investigations remain ongoing and no conclusions should be drawn...
While Jamaica has unimpeachable economic and moral logic for applying its general consumption tax (GCT) to digital services provided by firms that have no presence in the island, the island’s government should strategise closely with its Caribbean...
The recent decision of a Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on non-alcoholic sweetened beverages (SSBs) is a pivotal moment in Jamaica’s public health history. SSB consumption is an established risk factor contributing to Jamaica’s high prevalence of...
I’ve always loved Greek and Roman drama. From binge-watching Clash of the Titans on JBC every Easter as a child, to Gladiator, 300 and Troy, Hollywood has never struggled to separate me from my money as I line up for overpriced popcorn and not-so-...
Published:Wednesday | February 18, 2026 | 12:22 PM
In the current landscape of Jamaican education, the buzzwords are unmistakable: STEM and STEAM. As a nation, we are racing to equip our youth with the technical prowess to navigate a digital-first economy. We build labs, invest in robotics, and...
Published:Wednesday | February 18, 2026 | 12:08 AM
Jamaica may be fearful to act on its own. But with its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners, it has a moral obligation to speak out, and offer support to the Cuban people in the face of America’s attempt at bludgeoning its government into...
Published:Wednesday | February 18, 2026 | 12:06 AM
Jamaica may be recording a decline in murders, and that is welcome news. But while the headlines celebrate falling homicide rates, the country is stuck in a deeper, more corrosive crisis: a perpetual rise in public corruption. According to one...
Published:Wednesday | February 18, 2026 | 12:06 AM
Looking at Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness’ recent statement at the International Economic Forum for Latin America and Caribbean held in Panama on January 28, and recent Gleaner editorials on building partnerships as a response to changes in the...
When I was in high school, discipline meant structure, order, and clear boundaries. There were consequences, yes – but the cultural climate was different. Authority was rarely questioned, and social influences were not as relentless or invasive as...
For years, “diaspora property” in Jamaica meant one thing: come home, build inna the old community, and lock it up until Christmas. That era isn’t dead – but it’s not leading anymore. What’s leading now is a sharper, more modern play: buy where...
It would always have been untenable. But having personally, inserted himself and his company into the debate over the auditor general’s findings at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Dennis Gordon has made it explicit: he can’t...
