In Focus

Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica,  Yasuhiro Atsumi, hands over the keys for a bus to principal of the Clarendon-based Rest Primary and Infant School, Sandra Smith, during a ceremony held at the institution.
December 9, 2025

Yasuhiro Atsumi | Thank you, Jamaica! You will rise stronger after Melissa!

On behalf of the people and Government of Japan, I would like to express my sincere condolences and sympathy to all the people and the Government of Jamaica for the lives lost and horrible damages…
Sixty year old Juliet Clarke of Ipswich, St. Elizabeth, sits atop the rubble of her three bedrood board house after it collapsed during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Jalil Dabdoub | Trapped in tribalism: A nation held hostage — even in the face of disaster

Recently, I debated someone who took issue with my view that Jamaicans still see politics almost exclusively through orange and green lenses. While the overt violence of old has faded, political…
This photo shows household items piled in a mud-strewn section of Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, St James.
December 9, 2025

Gordon Robinson | We see you

The last thing Jamaica needs now is division among Jamaicans. Jamaica should have one goal; one purpose; one mindset. First and foremost, to deliver basic humanitarian relief like food, water,…
A house in Edmund Ridge housing scheme in Montego Bay, St. James which lost its roof during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Patricia Green | Strapping roofs can’t be the solution

“… Close the window weh de wind cum from. Open de other side. Do de same when de eye turn …”. How many Jamaicans and Caribbean people have passed on this knowledge to successive generations during the…
This 2024 photo shows houses in Portland Cottage damaged by Hurricane Beryl.
December 9, 2025

Neil Richards | Consequences of building on very dangerous sites

There is a fatal attraction to the practice of building on dangerous sites that seem to be ‘easy pickings’ for unauthorised occupation. Persons who squat on public or private land, seem to be embolden…
Structures are seen submerged under water in Cave Valley, St Ann, after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Mark Wignall | Long-term pain

With little pretence, he said, over furrowed brows and 60 years on his clock, “As time passes it becomes crystal clear that Melissa caused more death, destruction, turmoil, and mayhem than one could…
Delegates gather ahead of the CELAC-EU Summit in Colombia.
December 9, 2025

António Costa | Building our common future

Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean have always been natural partners. Today, in an increasingly unstable world, we choose to draw even closer and strengthen our friendship. The upcoming CELAC-EU…
Residents gather amid debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa on a street in Black River, Jamaica, on October 30.
December 9, 2025

Curtis Ward | Build back better and smarter: a response to environmental challenges

We repeat our mistakes and get the same results and at times even worse. The prophet Hosea (8:7) warned us, “You sow the wind you shall reap the storm.” Not a literal translation. We often hear, in…
Residents dry belongings at a house damaged by Hurricane Melissa in Santa Cruz.
December 9, 2025

Gordon Robinson | Create your own post hurricane reality

This week has been all about Hurricane Melissa and that’s likely to be the case for many more weeks. So there’s no better time for a reminder of the power of positive thinking. In that regard you need…