The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has handed over 300 hard copies of the consolidated Constitution of Jamaica to first-year constitutional law students at The University of the West Indies (UWI). Minister of State in the ministry, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, made the presentation during a session with first-year law students pursuing constitutional law at the Faculty of Law, UWI, Mona, yesterday. Dalrymple-Philibert noted that this is the first time since Independence that the Constitution has been comprehensively consolidated, “which means that all amendments from 1962 to the present are now in one single document”. “This consolidation is very significant. It will ensure that students, practitioners, policymakers, and members of the public are all working from the very same accurate foundation, which is grounded in what the law presently provides, rather than relying on outdated versions or fragmented pieces of amendment,” she said. “Accuracy is essential to meaningful legal study, informed...

More than 170 applications are currently being processed by the Social Development Commission (SDC) under the Government’s Community Church Clean‑Up and Restoration Initiative, the agency says. The initiative is part of the post‑Hurricane Melissa National Clean‑Up Programme and provides $75 million in grant funding to support clean‑up activities and minor repair works on churches. It targets churches in the western parishes that were impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28. Eligible works include debris removal, replacement of roof sheeting, doors, windows, and guttering, basic waterproofing, and other small‑scale remedial repairs. SDC Executive Director, Omar Frith, said the volume of applications received underscores the scale of damage caused by the hurricane in the affected parishes. “To date, the SDC has received 176 applications from churches across 16 constituencies in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, Trelawny and Hanover, with the largest concentration of submissions coming from St Elizabeth, Westmoreland...

Three workers at a hotel in Trelawny have been charged for allegedly copying room keys issued to them during the passage of Hurricane Melissa and using the duplicates to steal a total of US$2,000 from guest rooms. The accused are 25-year-old Anthony Binns of Lewis, St Ann; 29-year-old Alex Reid of Rose Hall, Montego Bay, St James; and 31-year-old Scillion Fuller of Linstead, St Catherine. They have been charged with unlawful possession of hotel room keys, computer forgery, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and simple larceny. The police say the alleged offences were committed between November 2025 and January 2026. Reports from the Falmouth police are that during Hurricane Melissa, the three men were granted permission to remain on the property and were issued key cards to access their respective rooms. After the hurricane, the men were instructed to return the keys; however, Reid reportedly failed to do so, according...

Rocking bass lines, rumbling steel drums and Rastafari livity filled the pavilion at We Grow Food’s 27th annual Bordeaux Farmers Rastafari Agriculture and Culture Vegan Food Fair. During the fair, which kicked off on Saturday and ended on Sunday, vendors offered everything from roast corn, blue spirulina popcorn and barbecue tofu along with pumpkin, kale and passion fruit plants for sale. Click the link here to read more: https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/bordeaux-fair-blends-food-fun-and-farming-advocacy/article_6ea95f80-d0ee-4984-9a76-46b92452ac62.html Facebook

Legendary Jamaican musician Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore died suddenly on Sunday evening, leaving family, friends and fans across the world in mourning. Coore, born April 6, 1956, had, for more than 50 years, been guitarist and cellist for iconic reggae band Third World. In a release early this morning, his family made the announcement of his passing. Coore was a founding member and musical director of Third World, whose pioneering fusion of reggae, soul, funk, pop, and rock helped shape the reggae-fusion sound and propel Jamaican music onto the global stage. Under his musical leadership, Third World achieved international acclaim with enduring classics such as Now That We’ ve Found Love, 96 Degrees in the Shade, and Try Jah Love, becoming one of Jamaica’s longest-running and most successful bands. Celebrated for his exceptional musicianship, compositional brilliance, and deep musical knowledge, Coore was widely regarded as a cultural ambassador who elevated reggae...

MADRID (AP) — A high-speed train derailed in southern Spain on Sunday, jumping onto the track in the opposite direction and hitting an oncoming train, the Spanish rail operator Adif said. Emergency services said the collision killed at least 10 people and severely injured 25. Two Guardia Civil officials confirmed the death toll to The Associated Press by phone and text message. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police rules. The evening train between Malaga and Madrid derailed and hit a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to Adif. Emergency services in Andalucia, the province where the accident happened, said it had recorded five deaths and 25 people with severe injuries. Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at...

A St James woman who was apprehended after being listed as wanted in connection with the death of her partner at a house in St Andrew has been charged with murder. She is 25-year-old Brittney Hall, otherwise called ‘Shadona,’ of Hurlock district in Montego Bay. Dead is 27-year-old security officer Wayne Robinson of Trench Town in Kingston. Reports from the Hunts Bay Police are that sometime after midnight on Thursday, October 30, 2025, Hall and Robinson were at a house in Cooreville Gardens area of St Andrew when she made an alarm. The police say Hall’s relative entered the house and saw Robinson bleeding from his chest. The injured man was assisted to hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. Following the incident, Hall fled the community and was later listed as wanted by the police. She was apprehended in St James on Monday, January 12. She was charged four...

What began as a temporary emergency response to Hurricane Melissa has evolved into a sustained healthcare crisis at Mandeville Regional Hospital, where patient numbers now far exceed capacity and exhausted staff struggle daily to keep pace. Though nearly all patients relocated from the hurricane-ravaged Black River Hospital have since been discharged, Mandeville has become the default lifeline for much of southern Jamaica, absorbing a relentless post-storm influx that shows no signs of easing. Of the 65 patients relocated to the Mandeville Regional Hospital from the hurricane-ravaged Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth, only two social cases remained last week. Yet the hospital – regarded as the main referral centre for the Southern Regional Health Authority – continues to face a growing influx of patients months after Hurricane Melissa’s mayhem. A trek through the main clinic and Accident and Emergency areas at Mandeville Regional made clear the fragility of life last...

Alleged gang leader Courtney ‘Bloodstain’ Ashley has been charged by police for engaging in a conversation about the sale of a firearm. According to the police, the conversation was found in his cell phone, which they say was seized when he was arrested. Ashley, 40, who the police had listed as wanted in relation to several cases including murder, was taken into custody on Monday during an operation at his home on Phoenix Park Village 2, Portmore, St Catherine. Ashley, who also has a home in Maverley, St Andrew, is facing charges of possession of prohibited weapon, dealing in firearm without license, aiding and abetting, and seeking benefit through professing to have firearm. His court date is being finalised. Reports from the Portmore police are that about 9:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, a team of police on operation went to Ashley’s address in search of him as he was...

The Masters of Medicine Conference, the Caribbean’s leading multidisciplinary medical forum, opens today and runs through Monday, January 19. It will bring together physicians, scientists, educators and health-system leaders from across the globe for three days of scientific exchange and collaboration. Co-hosted by the Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) and Yale Cardiovascular Medicine, the event reflects a long-standing partnership dedicated to advancing clinical excellence, cardiovascular research and health equity, particularly in regions facing disproportionate disease burdens. The 2026 theme, ‘Bridging the Divide: Tackling Obesity and Genetic Heart Disease in the Era of Preventive Cardiology’, highlights two pressing challenges in global cardiovascular health. With obesity rates climbing worldwide and inherited conditions often underdiagnosed, organisers stress the urgency of early detection and preventive strategies. “The rising burden of obesity and inherited cardiovascular disease demands a shift toward earlier identification and prevention,” said Professor Ernest Madu, chairman and founder of HIC and...