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Jamaica (AP) A foundation for football's Real Madrid has opened a sports academy in northern Jamaica. The Real Madrid Foundation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new academy in Montego Bay on Monday. Former Madrid player and current official Emilio Butragueno attended. Avalon Arscott, the spokeswoman for the Spanish Embassy in Jamaica, said on Tuesday that local youngsters from some of the area's poorest communities will attend the school. Arscott says students will be taught athletics and "social integration" by staff led by former Jamaica goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence.

LIME has taken the ‘E’ or entertainment element of their brand to another level by partnering with the Caribbean’s first globally syndicated television series to showcase Jamaican talents and culture to over 22 million viewers through a program called In The Dance. The new 13-week season will hit television screens starting July 1 on local broadcast partner TVJ, and viewers are promised an exciting show each week. Speaking at the June 16th launch at the Quad Night Club in Kingston, LIME Jamaica’s Marketing Commander Stephen Pryce said, “Dance is in our genetic makeup. It’s a part of our heritage which helps to define us as a people both locally and internationally. Our support of In The Dance once again demonstrates LIME’s...

Dancehall has, arguably, never been so nice. Thousands of music lovers had their musical appetite satiated at the ninth staging of the Death Before Dishonour World Clash Jamaica, staged at Pier One in Montego Bay, Monday night. Yes, it was a musical and lyrical war among approximately 12 sound-system operators from all across Jamaica and as far as Japan. But when the dust settled just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, there was only one don who reigned ultimately and walked away with the coveted trophy - Black Kat, the Christiana-based sound system. The show started out with about eight sound systems clashing against each other in a segment dubbed 'Town Against Country'. At the end of that session, Kentucky sound system thrashed all others...

R&B singer Usher filed for divorce Friday from Tameka Foster Raymond, less than two years after their glitzy wedding at a Georgia resort. The 30-year-old Grammy-winning artiste, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, filed the petition in Superior Court in Atlanta. Records posted to the court's website did not give any details about the split between the R&B star and his wife, who were married in August 2007. About 200 people attended the wedding between the two at resort built in the style of a 16th-century style French chateau on 3,500 hilly acres (1,400 hectares) outside Atlanta. They have two young sons, 1 1/2-year-old Usher Raymond V and six-month-old Naviyd Ely Raymond. His wife has three children from a previous marriage...

Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD (Kingston, Jamaica, January 26, 1932 – May 5, 2004) was a record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, '60s and beyond. He received his nickname "Coxsone" at school: because of his teenage talent as a cricketer, his friends compared him to Alec Coxon, a member of the famous 1940s Yorkshire County Cricket Club team. Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, who has died of a heart attack aged 72, nurtured the career of nearly every internationally renowned reggae artist. He was one of the first to record local talent, and an integral force in the development of ska. Having been involved in the development of reggae for more than 50 years, his contribution to the...

The Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) and Customs' Contraband Enforcement Team seized more than JA$40 million in illegal goods and cash when they raided an upscale Beverly Hills home in St Andrew on Tuesday April 27, 2010. Millions of dollars in Jamaican, United States, British and Canadian currencies was seized during the raid as well as several brands of counterfeit cigarettes and illegal alcohol. The Police have put the total cash value of the items seized at JA$40,548,966.00. Businessman Jason Kong, 50, and Yun Seng Xhang, 30, have been charged with breaches of the Trademark Act and the Excise Duty Control Act.The two were arrested after the cops raided Mr. Kong's Shenstone Drive residence and seized millions of...

The management and staff of ReggaeMe.com send condolences to Buju Banton and his family.The internationally acclaimed reggae singer lost his mother on Last Wednesday.

Reggae legend Bob Marley will be helping the Haiti earthquake relief effort from beyond the grave thanks to a 65th birthday party with a difference. Members of Marley's family and friends gathered at Los Angeles art gallery for Bob Marley's 65th birthday exhibition. Rare artwork and photography featuring the reggae great were on sale, as well as Marley coffee and other items. All proceeds from the event will benefit Doctors Without Borders' efforts in Haiti. Source:Times Live

Roger and Romeo Folkes, 39 and 27, of Jamaica, West Indies, were extradited to the United States on charges of conspiracy to import and export cocaine into the United States following an international investigation by agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Newark. Agencies also participating in the investigations include the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Midlands Police Complex Casework Unit in Birmingham; the Department of Homeland Security, HSI Attaché, Kingston, Jamaica; and officers of the United Kingdom Border Agency and the Jamaican Fugitive Apprehension Team (JFAT), composed of officers of the Jamaican Police and the United States Marshals...

Please have a little patience with the ReggaeMe family as we are in the process of completing a major upgrade and changing of site platform. The site should be back to normal within a week or two. Thanks Mark

A massive 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday morning, killing hundreds of people and shaking buildings from the neighboring Dominican Republic to Jamaica and Cuba. Saturday's quake was stronger, though centered farther from the capital, than the devastating 2010 temblor that killed more than 220,000, prompting foreign governments and aid agencies to prepare for large numbers of dead, wounded and homeless. Officials and witnesses reported heavy damage and fatalities dozens of miles from the epicenter, 7.4 miles northeast of Saint-Louis du Sud, where the quake struck at 8:29 a.m. The disaster struck about a month after the assassination of the president, leaving a hobbled interim government in charge of a country so...

Jamaica reported its first cases of H1N1 yesterday, making it the fourth Caribbean island to confirm the virus' presence. A 4-year-old girl from Linstead in St. Catherine has reportedly tested positive for the Influenza A H-1-N-1 virus popularly known as swine flu. Health Ministry spokeswoman Marion Bullock-Ducasse says lab tests show that two Jamaicans apparently contracted the H1N1 virus during recent visits to New York City and have since recovered Cases of Influenza A H1N1, formally called swine flu, were detected first in April of this year with cases in Mexico then the United States. The World Health Organization has to date confirmed over 17,000 cases world wide of which it says 119 persons have died from the...

After a tremendous performance at Sting International a few weeks ago, Dancehall artist Kiprich, has released the long- anticipated new single, “Party Time.” The song released by Togetherness Records (Miami), has already been called a crossover smash for Kiprich or as the ladies call him, Kippo, the former Hype man for Elephant Man. Kiprich who recently signed to Togetherness Records explains how different this song is from the previous releases, “For this phase of my career, I’m really trying something new, to explore different kinds of music, promote it internationally, and show people the range of my talent. The beats we used for Party Time are mad, mad, mad!!! I hope they will like it.” kiprich - Party Time...

Actor Leslie Nielsen has died at the age of 84. The Canadian-born actor started his career in serious roles, but in later years he was best known for his comic roles in the The Naked Gun and Airplane film franchises.

Up-and-coming rapper Dolla was shot dead Monday outside an upscale mall, and a suspect was arrested a short time later, Los Angeles police said on Tuesday. The Atlanta-based Dolla, 21, a protege of rapper Akon, was shot in the head while waiting with fellow rapper D.J. Shabazz outside the Beverly Center. Dolla was later pronounced dead at hospital. On Monday night, police arrested Aubrey Louis Berry, 23, of Georgia, at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with the shooting. Police say they recovered a gun. Berry's bail is set at $1 million, according to police. Dolla, who was born Roderick Anthony Burton II, was a member of Da Razkalz Cru, and was dropped from record label Elektra after the group's unsuccessful...

Singer Willie Nelson has been charged with possessing weed after the drug was allegedly found on his tour bus. The bus pulled into a Texas checkpoint on Friday and an officer smelled the drug when a door was opened. Nelson was among three people arrested for the six ounces of weed that was found on the bus. Willie Nelson, 77, was held briefly until he paid a $2,500 bond before being released.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to present the award-winning American classic BOYZ N THE HOOD on Blu-ray for the first time this July 19, 2011. In celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary, this powerful and timeless story of the three friends growing up in “the hood” gets the deluxe Blu-ray treatment, featuring stunning new high definition picture and explosive sound. The Special Features include “The Enduring Significance of Boyz N the Hood,” a look back with the cast and filmmakers at the last 20 years and the impact the film has made. In addition, the Blu-ray will also feature “Friendly Fire: Making Of An Urban Legend,” Commentary with John Singleton, audition footage with Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut and...

FORT LAUDERDALE (CN) - A man says he lost $2.6 million in a "huge Ponzi scheme named OLINT" that targeted Jamaican Americans. He claims the scam was so lucrative that one of its operators, Joseph Issa, "used the money to purchase the Shell Oil facility in Jamaica for $80 million." Robert Anderson sued five people and three organizations in Broward County Court: Jared Martinez, David Smith, Wayne Smith, Tracy-Ann Smith, OLINT, Joseph Issa, USIMO, and Superclubs. Anderson claims he and his investors group put $2.6 million in OLINT, through USIMO, which is or was controlled by Issa. "Jared Martinez and David Smith worked closely together in 2005 and onwards to create a huge Ponzi scheme named OLINT," according to the complaint...

The Grammys have announced the nominees for Best Reggae Album. The highly anticipated list of Grammy nominees for Best Reggae Album has finally been released, and while dancehall takes another snub this year, a newcomer Marley got a Grammy nod. This year there are five nominations that somehow are less surprising after you see them. BEST REGGAE ALBUM – Grammy Nominees Higher Place – Skip Marley Higher Place was released in August by the Marley-owned Tuff Gong International and Island Records. It contains the hit singles Slow Down with singer H.E.R. and Make me Feel, a collaboration with rapper Rick Ross and singer Ari Lennox. Slow Down was a strong seller, making several Billboard Magazine charts. It is also nominated for Best R&B...

1.Mavado - Hope & Pray ZJ Chrome Last Week: 3 | Weeks On Chart: 28 2.Tarrus Riley - Love's Contagious VP Last Week: 14 | Weeks On Chart: 32 3.Mr. Vegas - Gallis VP Last Week: 5 | Weeks On Chart: 13 4.Busy Signal - One More Night VP Last Week: 1 | Weeks On Chart: 12 5.Gyptian - Hold Yuh Fire Unit / VP Last Week: 21 | Weeks On Chart: 3 6.Merital w/ Vybz Kartel) - My Money(Ha Ha) Head Concussion / Russian Last Week: 17 | Weeks On Chart: 14 7.Mavado - House Cleaning Heart Of Love Last Week: 18 | Weeks On Chart: 15 8.Alborosie w/ David Hines - Stepping Out Greensleeves Last Week: 9 | Weeks On Chart: 7 9.Rihanna - Redemption Song The Island Def Jam Last Week: 22 | Weeks On Chart: 3 10.Vybz Kartel...