SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AFP)—Costa Rica's President Laura Fernandez on Thursday fired her foreign minister for attending a meeting on Latin America's security led by US President Donald Trump without telling her. Fernandez said that she should have been the one to attend the meeting of Trump's anti-cartel "Shield of the Americas" alliance in New York, and that Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar's failure to consult her caused "great strategic damage."...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Attorney-at-law Anthony Williams on Wednesday suggested to a witness that he had a grudge against his client, and that was what prompted him to accuse him of cutting the throat of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner on October 17, 2021 at the Pathways International Restoration Ministries in Albion, St James. Williams' client, Andre Ruddock, is currently on trial for murder in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston in...

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Shadow Minister of Culture, Creative Industries and Information, Nekeisha Burchell, has joined several others in paying tribute to legendary Jamaican bass guitarist Clifton “Jackie” Jackson, describing his six-decade career as an important part of the foundation on which Jamaica’s music achieved worldwide influence. Jackson, 79, died on Wednesday at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay following a period of illness. Burchell, in a press release, said that while...

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Thursday said it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) formalising its partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). It said that the agreement was signed on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and that the accord was signed by PIF Secretary-General Baron Divavesi Waqa and Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett. The MOU establishes...

For five weeks in 1975, Keith Poppin went to Channel One studio in Kingston to record songs for his second album. That set, Envious, was produced by Phil Pratt and released late that year. On September 10, the 10-song album was re-issued by Aggrobeat Records, an independent company based in the Netherlands. It is available digitally and on vinyl. Poppin, who lives in North Carolina, recalls the lively recording sessions...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Pension Industry Association of Jamaica (PIAJ) is seeking a clearer picture of how Jamaicans are preparing for retirement, saying existing data on retirement income and savings is limited or dated. “There is a lot of discussion taking place around pension reform, increasing pension coverage and retirement security, but we felt that we needed more current information about how Jamaicans are actually saving and thinking about retirement....

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Starbucks will close 250 more cafes in North America in its latest drive to improve financial returns, the coffee company announced Thursday. The chain described the closures as a culling of underperforming venues as it seeks to improve results in North America under Brian Niccol, who joined as CEO in September 2024. "We have carefully reviewed our North America coffeehouse portfolio and identified locations...

Promising two hours of non-stop reggae vibes, DJ Kurt Riley’s Tun it Up Thursday is set to take over Dulce Bar and Lounge at 22 Barbican Road on Thursday. Tun it Up Thursday is a live stream that happens on Riley’s social media platforms, TikTok and Twitch, and it focuses on Jamaican music including roots reggae, dub, lovers rock and dancehall. “What we pride ourselves on, is exposing new and...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 300 volunteers mobilised by the GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF) removed 8,636 pounds of waste from the Gun Boat and Buccaneer beaches in Kingston on International Coastal Cleanup Day recently. The activity was staged under the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP), which is facilitated locally by GKF and Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited, and funded by the international non-profit The Ocean Cleanup. The cleanup marked an important milestone...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The struggles behind success are not always visible, and entrepreneur Aubyn Henry believes more must be done to ensure Jamaicans facing mental health challenges do not suffer in silence. Henry, executive chairman of the AUBYN Foundation, is using the organisation to champion greater mental health awareness and suicide prevention, an issue he says has been shaped by his own experience of losing friends to suicide. According to...