NEWS
  • 'Dudus' prepares for trial

    NEW YORK, USA — With the matter of his legal representation now settled, former Tivoli Gardens don and accused drug and weapons dealer Christopher 'Dudus' Coke is now involved in intense preparations for his upcoming trial here.  Steve Zissou, one of two high-profile attorneys representing Coke, told the Observer in a weekend interview that prosecutors are still providing the defence with material, despite the expiration of a court-ordered date for this to be done....

  • Golding says Phillips signed pact with US without Cabinet approval

    PRIME Minister Bruce Golding said yesterday that United States authorities pointed him to an agreement signed by former national security minister Dr Peter Phillips but which, Golding said, did not have Cabinet approval when he informed Washington that the evidence used in the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke was obtained illegally.  Addressing the Area Council One meeting of his ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) at the Papine High School in St Andrew, Golding said since the extradition request came in August 2009, the Government has been caught in the fury of the unfolding melee. However, he told the JLP die-hards it was good to speak to "members of the family [because] when all the forces that are in a rage against you, you must never forget the people on whom you can always depend"....

  • Harvard Law grad cops Miss Jamaica World

    THE second time seems to be the charm for Chantal Raymond. After a previous attempt at the Miss Jamaica World title in 2008, she decided to give it a shot this year, and on Saturday night, walked away with the title, prizes and the opportunity to represent Jamaica at Miss World in Sanya, China, later this year.  Just minutes after her coronation, it was an excited, yet extremely composed Raymond who explained to the Observer that she did not feel that she gave the contest her all on her first attempt. "This is something I have always wanted to do, however the first time I did it for the fun. This time, however, I was more determined to put in the work required to get the desired results," she stated....

  • Yendi takes 2nd, creates history for Jamaica

    YENDI Phillipps last night placed second in the Miss Universe pageant, creating history as the highest ever finish by a Jamaican in that contest.  Phillipps served early notice of her historic feat when she was named in the final 15, then the final 10 and outshone early favourites Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Ireland to place in the top five....

PYV EXCLUSIVE
  • Happy 48th Birthday Jamaica

    Forty-eight years ago, on August 6, 1962, the British Union Jack was lowered inside the National Stadium, and for the first time, the Jamaican flag was hoisted signalling the birth of an independent nation.  Fast-forward to 2010 and Jamaicans are expected to go out in their numbers for this year's observances. The highlight of the celebrations are centred around capital city Kingston, however, throughout the island there will be events to mark the Independence anniversary. The major events in Kingston comprise the Independence Street parade and the Grand Gala....

  • “Wurd to the masses”

    The number one reggae show, “Irie Saturdays”, now fills a much needed void in local Philly radio broadcasting.  Philadelphia radio has been devoid of a much needed variety reggae show that encourages listener participation as well.  Enter “Irie Saturdays” radio show on WURD 900am sponsored by Phillyyardyvibes.com.  In yet another attempt by the maverick company, Phillyyardyvibes.com again tries to bring the Caribbean community closer together.  In this “walk the talk” move, Phillyyardyvibes is again proving itself and exercising it’s commitment to the Caribbean community....

  • Red Stripe brings Usher, Chris Brown for Reggae Sumfest

    RED Stripe, 'the world's coolest beer company', will be adding even more flavour to this year's staging of the greatest reggae show, Reggae Sumfest. The company will be bringing internationally renowned pop sensations, Usher and Chris Brown to the event for the first time in its history.  Over the years Red Stripe has been known for hosting and partnering with some of the most premier events on the entertainment calendar....

  • We are all in this together!

    The Philadelphia and tri-state region currently enjoy a tradition and culture steep in Caribbean heritage.  Although not as extensive and as diverse as our neighbors to the north of us, Philadelphia boasts a very rich and unique Caribbean heritage.  The Caribbean community in Philly for the most part support each other in business, politics and social events.  Especially when it comes to the nightclubs and the bar scenes, the Caribbean community in Philly is becoming more vibrant; quickly approaching levels similar to that of other big cities.  However, as this trend increases, it appears that competition amongst venues and organizers increases as well and is becoming....

SPORTS
  • Game on, Usain: Gay shocks Bolt in Stockholm

    The rivalry was supposed to begin at the Beijing Olympics two years ago. Instead, it kicked into high gear Friday evening in Stockholm.

    In their first meeting since last year's world championships, American Tyson Gay stunned world record holder Usain Bolt in the 100-meter dash at the DN Galan meet in the Swedish capital. (Watch the clip here on Universal Sports.) It's the first major victory for Gay over Bolt in the event since the Jamaican shook the track world by setting a world record in May of 2008 and the first loss overall for Bolt in two years.....

  • 9.4 possible Says athletic superstar Bolt

    Track's fun-loving Jamaican star told The Associated Press he still believes 100 metres can be run in the 9.4-second range, but that his biggest goal at the London Olympics in two years will be simply to win the gold medal again.  "I'm always just happy with a gold medal," he said. "If we go there and nobody breaks a record, I'll always have the record and there's no worries for me."  At Beijing....

  • Jamaican tally increases to 21 medals at CAC Games

    JAMAICA's medal tally was up to 21 at press time yesterday after nine days of competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.  Sheree Francis claimed a silver in the women's high jump after clearing the bar at 1.91m. St Lucia's Levern Spencer earned the top spot with a leap of 1.94m....

  • Es Espana!

    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Andres Iniesta secured the World Cup for Spain for the first time in their history by scoring the only goal of an enthralling final against the Netherlands four minutes from the end of extra-time yesterday.  Just as it seemed a third World Cup final was destined to be settled by a penalty shoot-out, the Barcelona midfielder found himself in space in the Dutch box and hammered an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg....

EDITORIAL

  • The mobile phone and the possibilities for Jamaican farmers

    THE GLOBAL information, communication and technology (ICT) industry has evolved at an astonishing pace over the last two decades. One way in which the ICT industry has had a particularly significant impact is addressing food security and agricultural development. The synergy between the ICT industry and food security....

  • Champs: Give credit where it is due

    The past students of other schools began to follow suit and to challenge the KC dominance. This competition became fierce and at times frenetic. But it resulted in a series of excellent performances. By then, quite a few other principals had realised the benefits to their schools' esprit de corps when a sports team performed well in competition with others.....

  • The dilemma faced in peace management

    A critical issue has been the dilemma that the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) faced from early. This was its having to respond to community clashes in several different areas in rapid succession but needing simultaneously to focus intensively on an individual community or set of communities with developmental initiatives in order to make their ceasefire sustainable....

  • Dudus, US Gov't, interception of information

    THIS column begs to differ with the editorial, "No man is (worth) an island" in last Thursday's edition of the Observer regarding the constitutionality of the extradition of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is wanted in America for alleged drug and gun-trafficking charges .The editorial took to task Prime Minister Bruce Golding for defending Coke's constitutional rights and seems to play down the importance of the Jamaican Constitution to the life of every Jamaican. If one aspect of the Constitution is breached, it sets a bad precedent....

BASHMENT/ENTERTAINMENT

  • Macka Diamond's book launch for Caribbean-American Month in Florida

    WITH all the negative press to hit the dancehall industry in recent months, it's refreshing to see that amidst it all, positive sparks are still being ignited throughout the embattled industry.  Dancehall diva-turned- author, Macka Diamond, is one such spark. With the release of her sophomore novel in February, The Real Gangster's Wife, she has....

  • Ziggy Marley working on movie; song with controversial theme

    Look out Hollywood, here comes Ziggy Marley.  The eldest child of reggae icon Robert Nesta 'Bob' Marley, the Grammy Award winning artiste is best known as singer/song-writer/producer, but now Ziggy ia about to add movie producer and possible actor to his resumé.

  • Orrett Rhoden mesmerises at Royal Plantation

    The famous Drawing Room of the elegant Royal Plantation, often used by the legendary Sir Noel Coward to entertain his guests, resonated with the sound of superb classical music, as pianist, Orrett Rhoden, mesmerised the north coast crowd with a virtuoso performance.  The masterful display was delivered on the hundred year-old Steinway Piano....

  • Dancehall: who a mash it up?

    Nowadays one of the hottest and most disturbing topics in the streets is the ‘mashing up’ of the local music industry. Every member of our fading business seems to have his or her own reasoning behind this crisis but no one is taking the time out to look at themselves as a possible factor. Who is to be blamed though....

BLOGS

  • There's no place like home-notwithstanding alarming violence

    I feel compelled to respond to the article in the Jamaican Observer, “Jamaicans fights for dreams in Canada”, written by Kimone Thompson. Ms Thompson carefully outlined the injustices in education and employment faced by many people of Caribbean descent who reside in North America.

  • Vivian Blake, Founder of Jamaica's infamous Shower Posse dead

    The founder of a cocaine-smuggling gang blamed for about 1,400 slayings has died of illnesses at a Jamaica hospital, a year after returning to his native island following a prison term in the United States. Vivian Blake, 53, died Sunday at University Hospital of the West Indies, where he had been admitted a day earlier after suffering a heart attack, according to attorney George Soutar. The lawyer said Blake also had kidney disease and had been receiving dialysis treatment...

  • Japanese assistance to Jamaica significant

    CHARACTERISTICALLY, Japanese are humble people and do not like to publicise themselves. Yet Japan's contribution to Jamaica's development has been significant. The three main areas of Japan's contribution to Jamaica are through....

  • Terror Watch List Counter: A Million Plus

    Why are there so many names on the U.S. government’s terrorist list? In September 2007, the Inspector General of the Justice Department reported that the Terrorist Screening Center (the FBI-administered organization that consolidates...


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