Nothing, fundamentally, has been settled in Venezuela despite America’s military assault on the country and the capture and rendition to the United States of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro. He is being put on trial for drug charges....
Jamaica has formally entered the global conversation on artificial intelligence (AI), with recent government-led policy recommendations and international assessments outlining how the technology could shape productivity, jobs and public services....
As Jamaica awakens to the first days of 2026, the country carries the unmistakable marks of a year that demanded much and gave back hard truths in return. 2025 offered no dramatic turning points or bold new visions. It was, rather, a year of quiet...
There are 35 independent countries in the Western Hemisphere, including the Caribbean small island developing states, which signed the agreement establishing the Organization of American States (OAS). There have been several articles in this column...
Recent developments involving Venezuela raise urgent concerns about whether the United States is once again asserting imperial power over a sovereign nation, this time with unprecedented openness and rhetorical audacity. When a global superpower...
As he has promised, Delroy Chuck should act with urgency in having Parliament decide on decriminalising sex between minors who are close in age. They should. Minister Chuck’s promise of the parliamentary review, is by way of a joint select...
Calls for a viable third political party in Jamaica are nothing new. Every election cycle the public debates it, and the ballot reflects it. In the 2025 general election, third parties not only increased their overall vote share relative to...
2025 was one of the most fruitful years for ransomware gangs yet, as we saw thousands of victims claimed by criminals throughout the year. AI was a big help. Artificial intelligence may not be orchestrating major cyberattacks on its own just yet...
Buckle up folks, the Old Ball and Chain is off on another of her rants. This time she’s rabbiting on about her bonnet’s favourite bee namely education. She was triggered by a December 28 Gleaner report headlined Literacy Leap. Don’t be fooled by...
In the 1990s, a landmark study was conducted in the United States examining the long-term effects of childhood trauma. Over 17,000 participants were interviewed. At the time, 10 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were identified, related to abuse...
There may indeed be a need for balance between digital technologies and old-style teaching systems in the delivery of education globally. But, even in the absence of credible data on the availability and use of smart systems by Jamaican children,...
When Hurricane Melissa disrupted communities across Jamaica, the Government moved quickly to protect some of its most vulnerable citizens: pregnant and postpartum mothers. Under the leadership of Hon. Krystal Lee, MP, State Minister in the...
The predawn United States military operation that spirited Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of Venezuela and into US custody marks a watershed in hemispheric politics. In an operation that lasted just over two hours, American forces removed a...
After months of escalating pressure on his government, few people could claim to be genuinely shocked by America’s bombing of Venezuela and the seizure of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. What is perhaps surprising – even among those who...
When it comes to protein, most people think they need to reach for the steak or the chicken. The tasty truth bomb is plants can satiate your protein cravings, and more. Raising animals for food is responsible for 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas...
In the 2025 Reith lectures on the BBC, historian Rutger Bregman records the moral revolutions and creations of worthwhile institutions brought about by the persistence, wisdom, and sacrifice of small groups like those who led the slave revolts in...
Jamaica has invested decades in building formal pathways for training teachers to support children with special-educational needs. These pathways matter. They have produced committed educators, created professional legitimacy for special education...
On December 27, 2025, homicide numbers were reported. Lowest numbers since 1994. Only other time in the 2000s where we breached the 1,000 threshold was 2004, with 975, and we came close in 2014, with 1,005. In that period, the commissioner of...
The current controversy in Nigeria over why more than half of the 62 applicants for seats on the federal bench failed to advance, is a reminder of long-standing calls for reforms to the system for appointing judges in Jamaica, which largely lacks...
A December 30, 2025, Gleaner headline read: “St Andrew businessman charged following shooting over alleged car confusion.” From police reports, on December 24, 2025, at 10:05 p.m., a businessman allegedly shot a man who was attempting to open his...
Recently, the Court of Appeal overturned a murder conviction on the ground that the Presiding Judge, the chief justice, descended, quite extensively, into the arena to elicit evidence that ought to have been left to the prosecution. This decision...
On October 28, Jamaica was struck by a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) - the massive Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Unlike the atom bombs detonated on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, Melissa’s destructive force was not constrained to the...
Dr Richard Amenyah’s warning that some of the global gains against the spread of HIV/AIDS could be in danger because of a cut in funding by the United States and countries for programmes to combat the disease highlights the urgency with which...
The Caribbean Community stands at a moment that calls for less rhetoric and more realism. CARICOM is experiencing a period in which external pressure is intensifying, new norms are hardening among powerful states, and the need for small states to...
For our remembrance of John Wickham’s literary home here in the arts and hearts of the Caribbean people. I fervently hope that he is still roaming the universe, seeking and discovering new landings and landscapes, people, and things, to returning...
