Child’s killing, Holness World Cup trip and JMDA dispute lead Jamaica news

The killing of 10-year-old Shanny Ko, known as Kaidra, has devastated a community near Troy, Trelawny. Her partially unclothed body was found in bushes beside a roadway on Tuesday evening with her throat cut. A mob subsequently killed Delroy Ko, whom residents accused of raping and murdering the child. His father, Maxwell Ko, was also attacked and remains in hospital.

Shanny’s maternal grandmother, Merl Williams, who raised her from birth, said she sent the child to a nearby shop about 3:30 p.m. When she had not returned by 4 p.m., relatives and residents launched a search. Williams remembered the Troy Primary student as friendly, well known throughout the community and strong academically.

Police said residents suspected Delroy because of his criminal record. Investigators described him as a convicted sex offender previously arrested for sexual offences in Portland and Trelawny. He served five years at St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre following a 2019 conviction and was released in August 2025.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has meanwhile denied that taxpayers financed his attendance at last Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final at the New York New Jersey stadium. Holness said he paid his expenses and attended as FIFA’s guest. He also pointed to Jamaica’s involvement in a bid to co-host the 2031 Women’s World Cup and the infrastructure required.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association has demanded an apology from Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton over reported remarks about interns who protested islandwide on June 24. The JMDA denied that University Hospital of the West Indies interns demonstrated in the accident and emergency department because of insufficient beds, saying their concern was inhumane working conditions. Tufton said he would address the matter privately with the association.

CXC will hold sensitisation sessions across its 21 territories as non-practical subjects move from traditional school-based assessments to Paper 032. Candidates will receive topics about a month beforehand and may carry reference notes into controlled examinations. Operations director Dr Nicole Manning said the changes, prompted partly by generative AI, are intended to protect qualification integrity while allowing responsible AI use during preparation.

In Florida, Jamaican Jereim Jamman Shelton is scheduled for a November 9 jury trial over a fatal 2022 double shooting in Lauderhill. He has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. Jamaican prosecutors also want him to testify by video link in the St. James triple-murder case against music producer Lynval “Shabdon” Thompson and TJ “Fathead” Clark.

Brent crude moved above US$100 a barrel amid Middle East violence and reported Houthi attacks on two Saudi tankers. In sport, Jamaica lost Commonwealth Games three-on-three basketball matches to Uganda and Australia, while the Reggae Boyz were drawn with Honduras, Guatemala, Suriname, Martinique and El Salvador in Group B of the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League.