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Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding has renewed his criticism of the United States’ (US) approach to Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, arguing that Washington’s recent demands and policies are putting smaller states under increasing pressure and do not reflect the actions of a true friend. Golding, who has been warning since earlier this year that Caribbean countries are being forced to navigate an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment, said the region’s response must be measured because of its economic vulnerability.

The grief was almost too much for Bartholomew Brown to bear. The father of 43-year-old musician and actor Brian Todd Boucher, better known by his stage name ‘Ras Ajai’, said the news that his son had been shot dead on Saturday night came as a devastating blow, leaving the family struggling to process the tragedy. Boucher’s death comes just two years after a major milestone in his career, when he appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood biopic Bob Marley: One Love, portraying reputed gangster and Marley associate Claude Massop.

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s tourism industry is still recovering from the worst series of shocks in its history, leaving the sector ill-prepared to absorb a proposed increase in the general consumption tax (GCT), Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President O’Brian Heron has argued. Heron said many hotels remain under pressure from rising operating costs and growing competition from regional destinations as the industry continues its recovery.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Portland: Congratulatory messages are pouring in for Christina Williams of the Rio Grande Valley in Portland, who captured the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2026 crown on Saturday night at Independence Village, National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston. Williams, a 28-year-old attorney, secured the prestigious title after staving off a strong challenge from Dr Melissa Flinch of Manchester, who was named first runner-up, and Danielle Cox of Kingston & St Andrew, who earned the second runner-up position.

The Court of Appeal has found that the Financial Services Commission (FSC) had no proper basis to seize Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) in January 2023. “The FSC failed at this first hurdle,” Justice Kissock Laing wrote in the court’s judgment, handed down on Friday, “since these were predicated on a necessary foundation that was, in fact, non-existent.”

Headley ‘Dellmar’ Samuels, the celebrated Jamaican photojournalist whose images captured some of the most defining moments in West Indies cricket and chronicled decades of Jamaica’s political and cultural history, has died following a period of illness.

Three 17-year-old students from St Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the United States (US), may have found the perfect itinerary for teens travelling to Jamaica after managing to combine education, philanthropy and fun during their recent trip to the island.

As Jamaica and the wider Caribbean mark Emancipation Day 2026, the PJ Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy is urging regional leaders to pursue a broader vision of freedom – one that moves beyond political rights to include economic empowerment, land ownership and opportunities for wealth creation.

Delta Capital Partners, the investment firm facing criminal charges in Jamaica for alleged regulatory breaches, had assets up to December 2023 that were valued at one-third of its over US$15.4 million or J$2.3 billion in liabilities, a financial disclosure form filed in court has revealed. Promissory notes accounted for US$14 million or approximately J$2.1 billion in the liabilities while “payables” accounted for US$1.4 million or J$227 million, according to a statement of financial position the company filed in court and obtained by The Sunday Gleaner.

WESTERN BUREAU: Executive Chef Maurice Mullings will take Jamaican cuisine to China this week, leading the island’s first official food festival in Beijing as Jamaica celebrates its 64th anniversary of Independence. For Mullings, executive chef at S Hotel Montego Bay, the assignment is unlike any he has undertaken. “I’m excited about the prospects and I’m committed to leaving an indelible mark in China,” he told The Sunday Gleaner ahead of his departure.

Jamaican News