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BLOCKED!

April 17, 2026 | News
Shockwaves rippled through the global track and field community – particularly in Jamaica – after World Athletics (WA) on Thursday blocked the transfer of allegiance to Türkiye for 11 professional athletes in an unprecedented ruling. WA said the move, first revealed in June 2024, amounted to a coordinated state recruitment effort driven by financial inducements, with athletes lacking any genuine connection to Türkiye. The governing body argued that such arrangements undermine eligibility rules and threaten the integrity of international competition.
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Ernie Smith has died

The music fraternity is mourning the passing of legendary singer, Ernie Smith, who died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Florida. He was 80 years old. “He’s gone, he’s no longer with us,” his wife, Claudette Bailey-Smith, told The Gleaner. Earlier on Thursday, Bailey-Smith had shared that the beloved reggae and folk singer, who did surgery on Sunday, had been experiencing health challenges since June last year.

Ernie Smith dies at 80

The music fraternity is mourning the passing of legendary singer Ernie Smith, who died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Florida. “He’s gone. He’s no longer with us,” his wife, Claudette Bailey-Smith, told The Gleaner. Earlier on Thursday, Bailey-Smith had shared that the beloved reggae and folk singer, who underwent surgery on Sunday, had been experiencing health challenges since June last year.

‘We’re tired of it’

A 29th birthday celebration in Trench Town turned into a night of fear and trauma on Wednesday after police officers descended on a family gathering, detained the celebrant, and allegedly discharged high-powered weapons. Residents were left angered, shaken, and demanding answers. The incident unfolded along West Road in Federal Gardens, where relatives and friends had gathered in a yard to mark what should have been a joyful milestone. Instead, the night ended in chaos.
Roje Stona.
Published 4 hours ago

BLOCKED!

Shockwaves rippled through the global track and field community – particularly in Jamaica – after World Athletics (WA) on Thursday blocked the transfer of allegiance to Türkiye for 11 professional athletes in an unprecedented ruling. WA said the move, first revealed in June 2024, amounted to a coordinated state recruitment effort driven by financial inducements, with athletes lacking any genuine connection to Türkiye. The governing body argued that such arrangements undermine eligibility rules and threaten the integrity of international competition.

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Wayne Pinnock
Published 4 hours ago

JAAA stands by want-away stars

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) said the four Jamaican athletes who applied for a transfer of allegiance are still considered valued members of Jamaica’s track and field following the decision by World Athletics to deny their applications yesterday. Olympic discus champion and record holder Roje Stona, long jumper Wayne Pinnock, triple jump junior record holder Jaydon Hibbert, and Olympic shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell all applied for a switch of allegiance to Turkiye.

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Grammy Award-winning artiste, fashion designer and actor, Septimius The Great.
Updated 2 hours ago

5 Questions With Septimius The Great

Grammy Award-winning artiste, fashion designer and actor, Septimius The Great, headlines Fashion Elevation 2026: The Essence of Style, this Saturday at The Summit, 16 Chelsea Avenue in New Kingston.

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Yendi Phillipps (left) is joined by her husband, Omar McFarlane, and daughter, Israel McGregor, as they watch the festivities along the Gen XS route on Trafalgar Road in New Kingston on Carnival Sunday.
Published 4 hours ago

Yendi Phillipps, family take in carnival from the sidelines

Though the bands and their revellers in big, colourful costumes are a major part of the Carnival in Jamaica Road March experience, spectators who stand on the sidelines to watch, sing, dance and snap photos also help shape the atmosphere. On Sunday, as the eight sections of the Smirnoff Gen XS band crossed the stage at Trafalgar Road and Knutsford Boulevard, one family was among those taking it all in.

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The University Hospital of the West Indies.
Published 4 hours ago

Editorial | Transforming UHWI

The disclosure of the University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) J$18 billion debt to Jamaica’s tax authorities, adds another titillating bit to the tales of impunity and dysfunction the auditor general told in her recent report on the institution.

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