Portia to be sworn in Thursday Portia entering second term as PM
PORTIA Simpson Miller will be sworn in as prime minister of Jamaica on Thursday afternoon, a week to the day that her People's National Party (PNP) crushed the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in a general election that returned...[more]
No commentsNo escape for Vybz Kartel Cops dispel rumour that deejay and seven others stage prison break
POLICE have thrown cold water on claims that embattled Deejay Vybz Kartel has escaped from the New Horizon Adult Remand Centre early this morning.Reports have gone viral on the internet and on social networks that the Deejay...[more]
No comments6 cops under probe Said caught on tape taking money from Kartel's relative
SIX policemen who were assigned to the Gun Court Remand Centre have been transferred and are facing certain corruption charges after they were allegedly caught on camera taking money from a close relative of jailed popular...[more]
No commentsTwo more men likely to be charged jointly with Kartel
TWO more men are expected to be charged jointly with deejay Vybz Kartel for the August 16 murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams in Havendale, St Andrew. The revelation of the pending charges against the two was made when Kartel and...[more]
No comments2nd murder charge 'shocks' Kartel
POLICE last night slapped a second murder charge on controversial deejay Vybz Kartel, a development that his lawyer said has shocked the artiste. A news release from the constabulary said that detectives from the Constant...[more]
No commentsMore bad 'Vybz' for Kartel Still no bail for popular entertainer
CONTROVERSIAL dancehall entertainer, Vybz Kartel, was yesterday left disappointed after his bail application failed to materialise in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court, resulting in a further extension of his...[more]
No commentsVybz Kartel denied bail on ganja charge
JAMAICAN dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel was denied bail when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court to answer to a charge of possession of ganja this morning. Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey, refused a...[more]
No commentsVybz Kartel charged with murder
INVESTIGATORS from the Major Investigation Taskforce (MIT) yesterday evening charged dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel with murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of firearm.A news release from the police said that the...[more]
No commentsDudus pleads guilty
FORMER Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke pleaded guilty today on drugs and weapons-smuggling charges, according to a report in the American media. Prosecutors alleged that since 1990, Coke controlled a drug...[more]
No comments'Too late' MSME Alliance says OUR failed to protect consumers
THE Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Alliance says billing problems, which last week forced the Government to announce a probe of the Jamaica Public Service's (JPS') billing and metering policy, could have been...[more]
No commentsJAH CURE'S WEDDING OFFENDS CHURCH - Reps say Ethiopian Orthodox didn't do ceremony
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) in Jamaica has distanced itself from the wedding of reggae crooner Siccature 'Jah Cure' Alcock and television personality Kamilia McDonald.The ceremony that took place at the Tryall Golf...[more]
No commentsGreatest tribute to Garvey is to continue his works Sydney Bartley
MARCUS Garvey was yesterday remembered as a liberator and nation builder at a floral tribute to mark the 124th anniversary of his birth at National Heroes Park in Kingston. Sydney Bartley, the director of culture in the...[more]
No commentsPASTOR ARRESTED WHILE PREACHING
A pastor was on Tuesday arrested by the Manchester police while he was preaching at a church on Ward Avenue in Mandeville.The police say that Roydel Rowe, otherwise called 'Prophet', was charged for illegal possession of...[more]
No commentsDudus takes on MOUs -Coke's attorneys claim wrong US official signed deal with Phillips
Lawyers representing alleged drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke have urged a United States (US) court to declare illegal the two controversial memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed by Jamaica's former National Security...[more]
No commentsCops arrest female pastor Accused of trying to smuggle contraband
female pastor is now in police custody after it was alleged that she was caught trying to smuggle contraband into a police lock-up in Clarendon on Sunday.Information reaching THE STAR is that the woman, who heads a church in...[more]
No commentsBuju turns to academics Artiste pursuing master's degree
AS Buju Banton says goodbye to his freedom for what could be at least six years behind US prison walls for a drug conviction, the Rastafarian reggae artiste says he intends to spend his time seeking higher learning....[more]
No commentsBuju could be out in six years Tells kids to 'love the Lord'
TAMPA, Florida Reggae singer Buju Banton could be out of federal prison in six years, according to his attorney David Oscar Markus. Speaking to reporters after the verdict of a 10 year sentence was handed down by United...[more]
No commentsNews Buju's countdown star's loved ones grow more nervous
ANXIETY is increasing among close friends and key supporters of Grammy Award-winning Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton as the reggae singer's sentencing date draws closer.The artiste, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie,...[more]
No comments'Dem try fi assassinate mi' - Says Mavado about nightclub shooting
Dancehall artiste Mavado has finally spoken out about the recent incident at a nightclub in New Kingston and claims it was merely an attempt to assassinate him. In a YouTube video that is more than 14 minutes long, Mavado...[more]
No comments'Dudus' puts up a fight J'can lawyers seek several declarations in Supreme Court to assist former Tivoli strongman
LOCAL lawyers for former Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke will be seeking several declarations in the Supreme Court which they believe will assist Coke's New York-based legal team in having the wiretap...[more]
No commentsUndertakers' pockets impacted by murder drop?
WHEN Tommy Thompson and his Brite-Lite Funeral Services shot to fame in the early 2000s, the murder toll in Jamaica averaged 1,000 each year. By the middle of the decade, when the numbers gradually increased to upwards of...[more]
No commentsEx-gangster has a peace vision for Jamaica
This is the eighth in a Sunday Observer series featuring stories told by inner-city men who have turned from a life of crime and are trying to steer young, at-risk males away from that destructive pat AFTER...[more]
No commentsEx-gangster has a peace vision for Jamaica
This is the eighth in a Sunday Observer series featuring stories told by inner-city men who have turned from a life of crime and are trying to steer young, at-risk males away from that destructive pat AFTER...[more]
No commentsBuju's co-accused gets 51 months
IAN Thomas, the co-accused of convicted Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton, was yesterday sentenced to 51 months' imprisonment in a federal court in Tampa, Florida. The sentence was more than the 18 months that Thomas had...[more]
No commentsCut crime and GDP could increase 5%, says World Bank
JAMAICA could grow its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 5.4 percentage points, if the country reduces its crime levels to that of Costa Rica. The suggestion was made by the World Bank in its 2011 World Development...[more]
No commentsDeaths of mentally ill assailants unfortunate JCF Chaplain We're sorry
CHAPLAIN of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Commandant of the Jamaica Police Academy, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gary Welsh has apologised for the recent deaths of two persons believed to be of unsound mind....[more]
No commentsBONDAGE! - Buju faces 15 to life after guilty verdict Reggae star tells tearful fans "Keep loving God"
TAMPA, USA Reggae superstar Buju Banton walked unshackled into the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court yesterday morning but by late afternoon he was led out in handcuffs after a jury, deliberating for a second day, ...[more]
No commentsPrivate security jitters $50-m heist sparks fear of insurance hike
THE operators of some private security firms are nervous that last Thursday's multimillion-dollar heist in Kingston will lead to an increase in insurance premiums on cash they are contracted to transport. Their concerns are...[more]
No commentsBig blow for Buju
Days before he faces retrial in a United States court, dancehall star Buju Banton has been dealt a severe blow.United States District Judge James Moody Jr has dismissed a motion filed by lawyers representing Buju, whose real...[more]
No comments'Cops not observing rules of Witness Protection Programme'
POLICE Commissioner Owen Ellington yesterday lambasted members of the constabulary for their tardy handling of the Witness Protection Programme. Ellington was harshly critical of the cops under his command in this week's Force...[more]
No commentsCake soap company lightens Kartel's claim Deejay's producers approached Blue Power to use soap-making machinery in video
Dr Dhiru Tanna, chairman of Blue Power Group limited, soap manufacturer and building retailer, has rubbished claims that the popular 'blue soap' or 'cake soap' made by his company, has any skin lightening effect, or that the...[more]
No commentsCops disciplined - 5 sergeants, 17 corporals dismissed from JCF
FIVE sergeants and 17 corporals were among the 82 police officers dismissed from the Jamaica Constabulary Force last year with 15 other cases still pending, as the organisation seeks to reduce corruption and unprofessional...[more]
No commentsVYBZ KARTEL ON AIR... Speaks to Ragashanti about The Building raid + INTERVIEW
A day after police raided the newly renovated Building in New Kingston, deejay Vybz Kartel and his business partner, Corey Todd, took to radio talk-show host Kingsley 'Ragashanti'Stewart's popular Mix Up and Blenda programme...[more]
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PM's wife caught in WikiLeaks release
THE Jamaican government is being tight-lipped about allegations that the wife of Prime Minister Bruce Golding tried to present the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke as a conspiracy against her husband and his...[more]
No commentsCops raise threat level - Release photos of 'Dog Paw'
THE Police High Command yesterday raised the threat level against the security forces to extremely high, especially in Spanish Town, Montego Bay and St Andrew where recent police operations are said to have disrupted criminal...[more]
No commentsWe want back Dudus
A nine-year-old boy was among at least three persons injured in a shoot-out between police and gunmen in Denham Town, West Kingston, yesterday afternoon. Residents said the youngster, was struck by a bullet on his right...[more]
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JUDGE DENIED BUJU TO PERFORM.
International reggae artiste Buju Banton, who has been out on bail but under house arrest pending retrial in February 2011 on drug conspiracy charges, apparently made an application to perform at a live concert in Miami on...[more]
No commentsNelson blasts 'blatant' police killings
NATIONAL Security Minister Dwight Nelson yesterday bemoaned the "high level" of extra-judicial killings across the island, some of which he said were "too blatant" and stopping just short of describing them...[more]
No commentsTaxpayer tab for Manatt/ 'Dudus' Enquiry soon
AXPAYERS should know in another two weeks the cost of the pending Commission of Enquiry into the controversial Manatt/ 'Dudus' affair that has engulfed the Bruce Golding administration for close to a year. A senior...[more]
No commentsBuju out J'can reggae artiste get bail in immiggration court
JAMAICAN reggae artiste Buju Banton, after close to a year in a United States jail, yesterday walked out of the Pinellas County lock-up in Florida after he was granted bail in an immigration court. Banton, whose real name...[more]
No commentsFebruary retrial for Buju
REGGAE singer Buju Banton's desire to spend time with his family before round two of his cocaine and weapons possession trial in a Florida court has resulted in the retrial being rescheduled for next February. Banton's...[more]
No commentsStephen Marley puts up his house for Buju
STEPHEN Marley has proven that he is truly a friend in deed. The son of Reggae king Bob Marley has put up his Miami-Dade house for bond in an effort to secure his friend Buju Banton's release from the Pinellas County Jail....[more]
No commentsJudge approves Buju's security detail Prosecution to appeal ruling
NITED STATES Magistrate Anthony Porcelli today approved a security company that Jamaican Reggae star Buju Banton has contracted to provide security while he is on bail, despite the objections of the prosecution. Porcelli...[more]
No commentsTributes pour in for Gregory Isaacs
AS news of the passing of veteran Reggae crooner Gregory Isaacs begins to soak in tributes are flowing in his honour. Isaacs passed away in London this morning from the effects of lung cancer. He had been ailing for some...[more]
No commentsHAUNTED MAN GETS 9 DAYS TO LIVE
23-year-old man from west Kingston feels his world is coming to an end, literally, after a 'spiritual healer' recently told him he only has nine days to live.The man, Ticka, told THE WEEKEND STAR he visited the spiritual ...[more]
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CAMPAIGN organiser for the Opposition People's National Party, Dr Peter Phillips said Prime Minister Bruce Golding must testify at the commission of enquiry into the Christopher 'Dudus' Coke/Manatt, Phelps & Phillips...[more]
No commentsIf acquitted, Buju still not free Lawyer says Reggae artiste will be detained, then deported
IF the panel of jurors returns a not guilty verdict in the drug trial of Jamaican Reggae star Buju Banton, he will still remain in the custody of the United States Government, one of the entertainer's lawyers confirmed...[more]
No commentsTapes hurt Buju - Damaging testimony against J'can artiste Damning tapes stun Buju Banton's supporters
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Residents protest cop killing by cop Claim policeman was murdered by colleagues
RELATIVES and friends of a policeman who was fatally shot by his colleagues today protested in front of the Ocho Rios Police Station. The dead cop has been identified as Constable Sheldon Williams otherwise called 'Sylvan' of...[more]
No commentsPhillips: PM knew about 'Dudus' request from Oct '07
DR Peter Phillips, the Opposition parliamentarian who blew the whistle on the now infamous Manatt, Phelps & Phillips affair that has shaken the Government, yesterday said Prime Minister Bruce Golding was briefed on the...[more]
No commentsCOP RAPES 14-Y-O RELATIVE? - Alleged to have held gun to her head during act
A policeman who is accused of putting a gun to the head of 14-year-old female relative while he raped her appeared in the Gun Court yesterday. Special Constable Wayne Campbell was ordered to return on September 5, when a date...[more]
No commentsPortmore fire leaves 20 homeless
Fire yesterday gutted three houses and damaged two others on Begonia Drive in the Portmore, St Catherine, community of Hamilton Gardens, leaving 20 people, including six children, homeless.The Constabulary Communication...[more]
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Cecil Williams unafraid in Chelsea Avenue jerk war
Cecil Williams says he has "seen it all before". Competition doesn't phase the 62 year-old owner of Chelsea Jerk Centre, who proudly states that his joint is the first established jerk spot in the nation's capital,...[more]
No commentsBloodbath - 11-year-old girl among 8 victims of massacre
THE shock and horror of the savagery unleashed by marauding gunmen on Tredegar Park, Spanish Town, St Catherine early yesterday morning was still vividly displayed on the faces of residents at mid-morning. The fearful...[more]
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Cops make quick capture of Naggos Head murder suspect
QUICK action by the police yesterday resulted in the capture of one of three suspects in the shooting death of a businessman in Naggos Head, St Catherine. Police identified the dead man as Kenroy Brown, otherwise called ...[more]
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149 cops booted
THE Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said it booted 149 cops from its ranks between January and July this year in what it admitted was an aggressive and ongoing campaign to rid the police force of cops who continued to operate...[more]
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THE Bruce Golding- led administration is examining the feasibility of a gun amnesty as part of its drive to rid the streets of illegal weapons. "It is something that we are examining because we will not...[more]
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Another policeman murdered Special corporal shot dead outside Kingston home
SPECIAL Corporal Jerome Cummings was yesterday shot dead outside his Langston Road home in Kingston, making him the second policeman to be murdered in less than a week. The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), the...[more]
No commentsAppeals court to rule on convicted cop killers' fates
THE COURT of Appeal on Tuesday reserved its decision in the case of the two men who were convicted for the fatal shooting of Detective Sergeant Maurice Shirley in a bar in Spanish Town, St Catherine, in April 2000.A Home...[more]
No commentsTertiary students could face 100% increase in tuitions SLB says economic climate might force Gov't to reduce subvention
TERTIARY students seeking loans to finance their education in the 2012 academic year are staring at a 100 per cent increase in tuition costs, as it is projected that the existing economic conditions will force the Government...[more]
No commentsHolness slams PNP JLP says State of Emergency most effective tool against crime, must be preserved
ANDREW Holness, the man responsible for the ruling Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) public relations machine, has slammed into the Opposition People's National Party (PNP), saying it has cost the nation "a perfect ...[more]
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Deadly attack - Gunmen kill four in Bog Walk Murder of four robs blindman of caregivers
OUR persons, including three members of one family, were shot and killed by gunmen who invaded their Pleasant Hill home in Bog Walk, St Catherine, Thursday night. The attack happened two hours before the midnight expiration...[more]
No commentsBattle will be won' PM says new anti-crime measures fast-tracked, takes effect tomorrow
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding last night called Tuesday's failure to extend the State of PUBLIC Emergency a setback in the fight against crime but sounded a rallying cry that the battle "can be won, must be won, and will...[more]
No commentsPublic giving police more support, say officials
MEMBERS of the security forces are getting more support from the public, law enforcers told the Observer in interviews yesterday.Some have even said that they were getting their best support in recent time, following their...[more]
No commentsGangster hunt - West Kingston thugs held in Manchester
Cops target men on the run in rural parishesON THE run from the security forces, which have maintained a strong presence in west Kingston since late May, gangsters from Tivoli Gardens are seeking refuge in several rural...[more]
No comments130 detained in Eastern St Andrew curfew
ONE hundred and thirty persons were detained by the security forces yesterday during a curfew imposed on the Eastern St Andrew communities of Papine, Kintyre and August Town. The curfew, which began at four o'clock yesterday...[more]
No commentsManatt again - American law firm claims it got US$15,000 more Phillips renews call for enquiry into Manatt issue
THE Government of Jamaica yesterday remained mum over the latest claims by American law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips that the State paid it US$15,000 more for lobbying work on its behalf than was previously disclosed....[more]
No commentsLow crime figures a sign of the changing times
One death by drowning and another in a motor vehicle accident competed for news attention with the only two gun killings reported by the police on the weekend, a sign of the changing times. The St James police said gunmen...[more]
No commentsAnother big drug bust at Kingston's port
Police on Friday thwarted another major player in the illegal drug trafficking network, when they seized almost 1,000 pounds of marijuana at Port Bustamante in Kingston. The drug was found in a container at the port by...[more]
No commentsJHTA welcomes new crime-fighting measures
THE tourism sector has welcomed Government's new crime-fighting measures, which the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) says are doing more good than harm to the country. The measures, which were...[more]
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HE Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) yesterday warned its members to be on high alert, saying that it had intelligence that criminals belonging to gangs, which operated in Western Kingston, were regrouping. According to the...[more]
No commentsJUTC to pay $6m to former employee
The government-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is to pay $6 million with interest to a former conductress who was injured on the job because of safety hazards.Stephanie Tilmutt had judgment awarded in her favour...[more]
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‘I’m not afraid of jail’ Rev Miller says imprisonment over ‘Dudus’ affair would glorify God
REVEREND Al Miller, the embattled pastor now facing criminal charges after being found in the presence of former fugitive Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, said yesterday that he was not afraid of going to prison for his action,...[more]
No comments'The PM hurt me deeply' • Former top cop charges Dudus was tipped off • Says ‘fire on the backside of J’can people’ spurred action
The Sunday Observer brings you excerpts of the interview with Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, former police commissioner and former JDF chief of staff, with CVM Television's Garfield Burford: THE security forces have continued...[more]
No commentsVybz Kartel gives himself up To spend the night behind bars
POPULAR entertainer Vybz Kartel gave himself up to the police minutes after 9:00 am today. Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, went to the Greater Portmore police station accompanied by his attorney Christian ...[more]
No commentsUS happy with swift handover of Coke
THE US State Department has commended Jamaica for what it described as the swift and safe handover of alleged drug lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke last Thursday, just hours after he waived his right to an extradition hearing....[more]
No commentsUS Embassy could not accept Coke — police
THE United States Embassy was not in a position to accommodate former fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, even if the Rev Merrick 'Al' Miller had succeeded in his mission to take him there, senior police officials have said....[more]
No commentsPastors support Al Miller's gun amnesty call
AT least two pastors have joined controversial preacher Rev Al Miller's call for a gun amnesty to rid the streets of Jamaica of the deadly weapon. Monsignor Michael Lewis, rector of the influential Stella Maris Roman Catholic...[more]
No commentsCoke returns to court today
NEW YORK, USA – Accused Christopher 'Dudus' Coke could find out today if his extremely slim chance of obtaining bail will materialise. Coke, who was extradited here last Thursday on drug and weapons charges, will make his...[more]
No commentsWhy Al went for ‘Dudus’ Pastor says Coke wanted to end stain of violence on his family
FORMER Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, who is now before the courts in the United States on drug and gun-running charges, wanted to end the violent history that has stained him and his family, according to...[more]
No commentsPNP wants 'Dudus' to spill the beans
HIGHGATE, St Mary – Opposition spokesman on national security Peter Bunting wants alleged drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is now in a federal prison in the United States, to spill the beans on all his cronies in...[more]
No commentsDudus' was very organised, police say
CHRISTOPHER Coke is not your ordinary criminal, some of the men who were instrumental in his capture believe. Coke, who ran an alternative government within a government in the West Kingston enclave of Tivoli Gardens,...[more]
No commentsRev Al Miller in rare moment misses church
REV Al Miller rarely misses the Tuesday night meeting of his congregation. But last night he was absent following the announcement that he was wanted by the police for questioning after members of the security forces...[more]
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