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The year long extradition dispute over Jamaican businessman Christopher "Dudus" Coke, accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling illegal firearms and narcotics, has caused more than a few problems for the lawyers at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Coke is adding to his U.S. legal team while he sits in a federal detention center in Manhattan. On Wednesday, Coke filed court documents terminating court-appointed solo practitioner Russell Neufeld from representing him. Coke, who already has retained New York solos Elizabeth Macedonio and the uniquely named Steve Zissou, has had trouble retaining counsel as U.S. law forbids lawyers from being paid with illicit funds. But joining Coke's legal team on Tuesday was another New York solo, Frank...

A team of Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, Marvin Anderson and Bolt finished in 37.90 seconds for Jamaica Gold, setting a competition record. Bolt took a perfect handoff from Anderson and ran for the final 100 meters to a standing ovation. Bolt's dash lasted an unofficial, but exhilarating 8.79 seconds. Bolt's appearance at the Penn Relays, his first competition of 2010, was responsible for the highest single day attendance of 54,310 in the event's 116-year history. A total of 117,346 fans watched the three days, also a record.

NEW YORK (AP) — The game show "Jeopardy" will pit man versus machine this winter in a competition that will show how successful scientists are in creating a computer that can mimic human intelligence. Two of the venerable game show's most successful champions — Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter — will play two games against "Watson," a computer program developed by IBM's artificial intelligence team. The matches will be spread over three days that will air Feb. 14-16, the game show said on Tuesday. The competition is reminiscent of when IBM developed a chess-playing computer to compete against chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. The "Jeopardy" answer-and-question format is a different kind of challenge. It often requires...

Rex Nettleford, one of Jamaica’s cultural icons, died Tuesday at George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C., a week after suffering a heart attack at a hotel on Jan. 27. He was 76. Nettleford, who was vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, was also a sociologist and choreographer who founded the National Dance Theatre Company. Nettleford, who was born in rural Trelawny parish in February 1933, long called for positive portrayals of Jamaica's black majority. His 1969 book, Mirror Mirror, examined the status of black Jamaicans nearly 10 years after the island became independent. He reportedly called for Great Britain to pay reparations to Caribbean residents for its part in the transatlantic...

Organisers of North America's premier reggae festival announced yesterday that international DJ Sean Paul will be making his first major outdoor festival appearance in New York for 2009 at Irie Jamboree which takes place on Labour Day Sunday, September 6, in Queens, New York. Other acts confirmed for the festival include the high-riding Fyah Muma, Queen Ifrica, Freddy McGregor, Mr Vegas, Assassin, Laden, Spice and Chino. Cultural deejay Queen Ifrica, who was in New York recently to promote her new disc Montego Bay is also confirmed for Irie Jamboree 2k9. With a growing fans base and hits like Daddy, Lioness on the Rise, Keep It To Yourself and Below The Waist getting significant airplay in North America and Europe, the Fyah Muma is...

Marvin Isley, a bassist who provided the foundation for his family’s hit-making R&B band, the Isley Brothers, died on Sunday at a hospice near his home in Chicago. He was 56. Marvin Isley had fought diabetes for more than 20 years and in 1997 lost his legs to the disease. Marvin Isley was born in Cincinnati on Aug. 18, 1953, the youngest son of O’Kelly and Sally Isley. Besides his brothers Ernie, Ronald and Rudolph, he is survived by his wife, the former Sheila Felton; a son, Corey; and two daughters, Sidney and Jalen.

Singjay Bugle recently released his latest video for popular director Jay Will of Game Over Productions. The video features two songs, Anything Goes for ZJ Chrome on his 'Tripple Bounce' rhythm and Summer Time for Open Ear Music. The video also features cameo appearances from Razz and Biggy as well as Bugle's production camp DASECA. YouTube - BUGLE- ANYTHING GOES/SUMMATIME

(AP)Jamaica's reluctance to hand over an alleged crime boss is straining relations with the United States, which is questioning the Caribbean nation's reliability as an ally against drug trafficking. The two governments have been negotiating over Christopher "Dudus" Coke since the U.S. requested his extradition in August to face arms and drug trafficking charges in New York. The U.S. Justice Department calls him one of the world's most dangerous drug kingpins. In a report Monday, the State Department suggested corruption could be holding up the extradition request. It noted Coke has ties to the governing Jamaica Labor Party and essentially controls the barricaded Tivoli Gardens neighborhood in west Kingston, the home...

Former NFL star Steve McNair was shot dead in his sleep last week by a 20-year-old girlfriend distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, police said Wednesday. Investigators may never know why Sahel Kazemi shot McNair four times as he dozed on a sofa early Saturday before turning the gun on herself, Police Chief Ronal Serpas said. But interviews with friends revealed that she was making payments on two cars, her rent was doubling and she suspected the married McNair was having a second affair with another young woman. She told a friend on Friday that "My life is a ball of s--t and I should end it," Serpas said. Police earlier had labeled McNair's death a homicide, but waited...

The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert to 5, its second-highest level Wednesday, indicating the outbreak of swine flu that originated in Mexico is nearing widespread human infection. Swine influenza is a respiratory illness that is caused by the influenza A virus. It is transmitted from infected pigs and also by human-to-human contact. With the current swine-flu outbreak, which has seen hundreds of people infected in Mexico, the United States and other countries, close to becoming a pandemic, the Ministry of Health of Jamaica has urged persons with flu-like symptoms to stay at home and consult a doctor immediately. Dr. Margaret Chan, the U.N. agency's director-general, said the decision mean to raise the...

Last fall, the blue-chip law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips signed a $400,000 contract to lobby on behalf of the government of Jamaica, spending the next several months talking with the White House and other administration officials about why the United States should not extradite an accused Kingston drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. According to Justice Department records filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Manatt signed the contract to represent the government of Jamaica on Oct. 1, about a month after Coke's indictment was unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The unusual arrangement has fallen apart amid a flurry of charges and counter charges that have...

leading dancehall singjay Mavado is taking his annual birthday bash toanother level this year - he will be celebrating with birthday partiesin several cities. So far, it has been confirmed that Mavado birthdayparties will be hosted in Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica and NewYork City, NY and Hollywood, FL in the U.S. The show series will kickoff on October 25 in Hollywood, Florida at the Opium Nightclub (at theSeminole Hardrock Hotel & Casino). More details soon.

On Tuesday morning, more than 1,000 police officers from forces across Ontario executed 105 search warrants in the Toronto and Ottawa, resulting in 79 arrests and the seizure of $30,000 in cash, $10,500 in casino cheques, 19 firearms, diamonds, cocaine, body armour, vehicles and more than 10,000 ecstasy pills. Dubbed Project Corral, the investigation began in August 2009 focusing on several shootings and other violent crimes in northwest Toronto that police believed to be a result of fighting between the area’s competing criminal organizations. While investigators initially targetted members of the Falstaff Crips and Five Point Generals street level gangs allegedly selling illicit drugs and trafficking in firearms police now allege...

Christmas is a special time for all of us. Christmas never grows old and we never grow too old to celebrate the joy of the season. Christmas is a time for reflection; a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus, the unbounded love of God which His coming signaled, and the promise of forgiveness and salvation He fulfilled. Christmas is a time to bond with family and friends who we may have neglected during the year. It is a time to share even with people we do not know and especially with those whose circumstances deprive them of the joy that Christmas should bring. On behalf of the ReggaeMe staff, I wish a blessed, peaceful & happy Christmas to all ReggaeMe supporters.

The UN's human rights council is reviewing a report by the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in Jamaica. The officer visited Jamaica in February 2010, and according to the UN, said that torture, did not constitute a major problem in Jamaica. However, he found that there is a general atmosphere of violence and aggression in almost all police stations, as well as discriminatory practices against detainees.

Speaking out five months after Michael Jackson's death, Janet Jackson placed blame on Dr. Conrad Murray, saying the doctor should no longer be allowed to practice medicine. "He was the one that was administering," she told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I think he is responsible." Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray,remains the focus of a manslaughter investigation into the pop star'sdeath. Murray has admitted to administering the anesthetic propofol,but has denied giving Michael anything that should have killed him. Jackson, who has walled herself in silence,fiercely guarding her private thoughts about the death of her belovedbrother, Michael, opened up to Roberts in an exclusive interview thatwill air...

After a whirlwind week Gyptian’s new album Hold You comes in at #2 on the Reggae Billboard charts. The smash hit single “Hold You” maintains at #1 on iTunes. The album has received high praises. Spin magazine gave it three stars and The New York Times said “like his big hit, this record is spare, woozy and gently enchanting, all breezy, loping love songs.” Gyptian is currently touring internationally in support of the worldwide release Tour Info: July 29 LOS ANGELES July 30 MONTEREY August 1st- Canada (Caribana) August 5th- Jamaica Album Release Party August 6th- Miami (Album Release Party) August 7th- Mandeville, Jamaica August 14 St. Croix (USVI) August 20 POUGHKEEPSIE August 21 TAMPA, Fl. August 22nd York...

(AP) Jamaica must clamp down on trash fires because the smoke, soot and microscopic pollutants they release into the air are serious health hazards, an environmental group said Wednesday. The Jamaica Environment Trust called on the government to establish air quality testing in areas likely to be affected by dump fires and to publish the results routinely. It is also urging authorities to try to stop the open burning of trash, which is widespread. A government report released this week said alarming levels of volatile organic compounds were dispersed in the air from a fire that burned for more than a week in February at an open-air dump in Kingston. It created a plume of smoke that could be seen for miles and affected schools...

Actress, singer and CoverGirl spoke person Queen Latifah hosts this year's BET Awards airing live from the Shrine Auditorium in LA lastnight. Queen "Dana Owens" Latifah has had the career that the grandest of dreams are made of. For over 20 years, she has consistently conquered music, television and film. She got her start in the early days of hip-hop, becoming a pioneer for female rappers. With songs like 1990's "Ladies First," and 1993's "U.N.I.T.Y.," the Newark, New Jersey native always managed to deliver an empowering message with clever rhymes and danceable beats. 2010 BET Awards Nominees and Winners: Best Female R&B Artist Beyoncé Mary J. Blige Melanie Fiona Alicia Keys Rihanna Winner: Alicia Keys Best Male R&B Artist...

Beyonce Knowles's mother was forced to deny rumours her daughter was pregnant. But her mother, Tina Knowles, made an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show to answer the reports. In a clip released ahead of today's show, Tina tells the talk show host Ellen: 'No, no. It's not true. Not right now'