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The Government’s decision to scale down the office space that will house the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) and cut rental costs, though welcomed, is raising questions about the quality of analysis behind government lease agreements, civil society advocate Carol Narcisse has said. “The decision-making clearly has to be more thoughtful about identifying needs and making sure that what we are expending is commensurate with what is needed and what is sufficient,” Narcisse told The Gleaner yesterday.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Guyana’s President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has warned Caribbean tourism leaders to “scale up” or risk being left behind as destinations in the Middle East and Latin America pour billions into tourism infrastructure and development. Ali said the Caribbean could no longer depend primarily on its beaches, natural beauty and established global appeal, arguing that the next phase of tourism must be driven by larger and smarter investments in transportation, resilience, technology, visitor experiences and regional integration.

At least two members of parliament (MPs) on Tuesday suggested that some consumers are receiving water from trucks that is not sourced from potable National Water Commission (NWC) supplies. The current severe drought is significantly affecting the NWC’s water sources and its ability to deliver piped water daily to some of its customers.

Jamaicans are being urged to turn cancer awareness into action by participating in the 15th staging of CIBC Caribbean’s Walk for the Cure at Hope Botanical Gardens on Sunday. The event, being held in partnership with the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), comes as the society faces an urgent need for more than $35 million to replace its only mammogram machine, which has been out of service since August 29. The 2026 staging is being held under the theme ‘One Caribbean. One Mission. Communities Walking for Change’, with a focus on cancer awareness, screening, treatment and care.

Former Caribbean Maritime University President, Professor Fritz Pinnock, was yesterday told that he will have to conduct his own cross-examination of witnesses if his attorney, Hugh Wildman, remains absent from the corruption trial. “I am expecting someone will be here to give you some assistance and be prepared to write or type and prepare cross-examination,” the judge told Pinnock ahead of the multimillion-dollar fraud trial’s resumption on Monday.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is reporting that its president-elect, Dr Maureen Mullings-Nelson, and a senior teacher with whom she was travelling are now recuperating following last week’s motor vehicle crash, in which they both suffered broken legs. In an update provided to The Gleaner on Monday, the JTA reported that Mullings-Nelson and her travelling companion, who were hospitalised after the accident shortly after 3:30 p.m. on October 1, were discharged over the weekend.

The Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights has turned proceeds from an elegant afternoon of tea and fellowship held earlier this year into support for healthcare and education. The Kingston-based club of young professionals used funds raised from its annual tea party, ‘An Afternoon in Bloom’, held in April, to purchase and donate three Medline mobile aneroid blood pressure monitors to Bellevue Hospital, the country’s only mental health hospital.

When the Israeli Air Force reported the destruction of Iran’s presidential VIP Airbus A340-300 often dubbed ‘Iran Force One’ during a military strike in Iran in March of this year, the repercussions were felt beyond the Middle East, reaching Kingston, Jamaica. The long-range jet was once in the fleet of the now-defunct Air Jamaica. And for veteran aircraft pilot Edward Miller, who regularly captained the airplane on flights from Jamaica to London and Manchester in the United Kingdom, news of its demise hit a personal chord.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has disclosed that as at March 2026, total receivables of the National Water Commission (NWC) is $23.88 billion. However, eyebrows were raised when it was highlighted that of the nearly $24 billion in receivables, the NWC has made provision for bad debt in the sum of $19.3 billion. Provision for bad debt is an accounting estimate of the portion of accounts receivable that a company expects customers will fail to pay.

The first hearing of Cabinet Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley’s challenge against the Integrity Commission’s (IC) decision to prosecute him for alleged illicit enrichment and other corruption-related offences has been rescheduled for November 12 in the Supreme Court. The matter, which was scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed to allow the attorney general to be served with the claim. Wheatley was, in July, granted leave for a judicial review of the Integrity Commission’s decision.

Jamaican News