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Presenter Danny Glover, left, kisses Harry Belafonte backstage after Belafonte received the BET humanitarian award during the 6th annual BET Awards on Tuesday, June 27, 2006, in Los Angeles.

Jamaican cruise ship worker Ricardo Stewart has been sentenced to 15 years for his role in a plot to smuggle nearly four kilgrams of cocaine into Bermuda. Ricardo Stewart, 32, of Ochos Rios, maintained his innocence in an emotional plea before Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons at the Supreme Court. A waiter aboard the cruise ship Explorer of the Seas, Stewart has been in custody since June on charges of conspiring with fellow employee Adrian Morris and others to bring the drugs into the Island. A jury last month found him guilty of conspiring to import. Morris, also from Jamaica, was caught after CCTV on board the ship showed him stashing the cocaine. He told police Stewart had offered to pay him for his part in the scheme, and a...

Michael Jackson was not the biological father of any of his children. And Debbie Rowe is not the biological mother of the two kids she bore for Michael. All three children were conceived in vitro -- outside the womb. Michael was not the sperm donor for any of his kids. Debbie's eggs were not used. She was merely the surrogate, and paid well for her services in the births of Michael Jr. and Paris. In the case of Prince Michael II (the youngest), we're told the surrogate was never told of the identity of the "receiving parent" -- Michael Jackson. Three days after Prince was born at Grossmont Hospital in San Diego County, Jackson's lawyer came to the hospital to pick the baby up and deliver him to Michael. Although Rowe is not the...

Buju Banton has been found guilty Tuesday afternoon on drug charges after many thought the artist would beat the odds after an earlier mistrial in the fall of 2010. Buju was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. One charge of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine was dropped. Buju’s bail was revoked and he was led away by U.S. Marshals to await sentencing. Banton’s attorney David Markus plans to appeal the conviction and attempt to have his client free on bond as he waits to know his fate.

Angel's Boutique, which is owned by dancehall artiste Michelle 'D'Angel' Downer, was robbed yesterday morning. The store is located at Princeville Plaza, St Andrew. It was robbed approximately 10:30 a.m. by three armed men. She said one female employee was in the store at the time. She was gagged, tied up and left in the building. The matter was reported to the Constant Spring Police Station. DSP Altermoth Campbell confirmed the incident, saying: "We have some information that we are working on."

It was certainly a statement-making entry for Ziggy Marley, eldest son of reggae icon Bob, this week, when his newest release entered at pole position on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Chart. Family Time, Marley's disc which is on the Tuff Gong imprint, toppled Easy All Stars, Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Band, sending it to the number two position formerly held by deejay Buju Banton, with his just-released Rasta Got Soul. Banton, who made his debut at number two, peaked in that position and now sits at number 3. Family Time was produced by Don Was and features members of the Marley family including Rita, Cedella and his daughter Judah alongside other international acts including Paul Simon, Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson as well as...

Photo by Garfield Robinson Jamaica Observer - 'Bounty Killer' and 'church' were two words that just didn't sound as if they should be in the same sentence ... and so very close together. Anyway, the story was that Miss Ivy -- Bounty's beloved mother and an upright Christian lady -- had ordered her son Rodney, to be present at her church yesterday morning. And, as the source pointed out, "If Miss Ivy say him fi come a church, him haffi come." Needless to say, Bounty, and his entourage, was present and on time at Miss Ivy's place of worship, the Agape Christian Fellowship Church in Gregory Park, St Catherine. Dressed in his trademark 'full black' and looking none the worse for his 10-day stint in police lock-up, from which he...

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made it clear on Monday "No help to anyone without benefits to Trinidad and Tobago". She said Trinidad and Tobago stands ready to assist its Caricom neighbours but she stipulated that any aid would only come after discussions with her Cabinet colleagues as well as the Opposition Leader, and must in some measure benefit the country. The Manning government had been severely criticised by Trinidad and Tobago nationals for giving assistance to Caribbean countries especially in non-emergency situations.

Four members of San Francisco's gay community met this afternoon for 40-minutes with Jamaican singer Buju Banton in Larkspur, up in Marin County, to discuss his troubling history with gay people. According to Buju and his advisers, this was his first meeting ever with gay advocates, and they really want to put an end to the controversy that continues to dog him over violent homo-hating song he sang in his late teens, "Boom Bye Bye." At the meeting were gay leaders Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who arranged the meeting, Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the SF gay community center, Andrea Shorter of Equality California and myself. Also present was Supervisor Eric Mar, a progressive straight leader in the Asian community, and, of...

After taking a brief sabbatical from hard-core dancing to work on developing her store, Keiva's Closet, Keiva has reunited with the Cosmic Dancers to hit the streets again. Known as one of the fore- runners when it comes to female dancers, for the last two years Keiva has kept quieter than usual where dancing and music videos are concerned. Now, however, she plans to blaze the dancing arena which she says has become boring. Thus far, Cosmic Dancers has been rehearsing on a daily basis, creating new, yet-to-be-named dance moves that reflect an old-school style of dancing. Since she re-immersed herself into dancing, Keiva has created a new dance called 'Sexy Mama' and has music videos with Spice, Voicemail, RDX among others in the...

dancehall singjay Wayne Marshall and his long time beau Tami Chynn are reportedly getting married this Saturday at a top secret location here in Jamaica. The guest list for their wedding is said to be a short one, and all invited guests were reportedly sworn to secrecy. Although no one has spilled the beans (as yet) about the venue and time, persons have let the cat out the bag with regard to the fact that it is happening

Legendary Jamaican reggae Musician, Junior Murvin, best know for the single 'Police and Thieves' is dead. The Portland-based singer reportedly died peacefully at his home at Summers Town Road in Port Antonio early this morning. Murvin, whose real name is Murvin Junior Smith was born in Saint James in 1949, but following the death of his father, relocated to Port Antonio with his mother and other siblings. Murvin would later achieve fame as the singer of 'Police and Thieves', which was an international hit in 1976, produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Reggae singer Siccaturie 'Jah Cure' Alcock and Kamila McDonald, co-host of CVM TV's On Stage and university student, became man and wife at the luxurious Tryall Club Sandy Bay Hanover on Sunday. Jah Cure says he sees himself in the light of a role model for not just entertainers, but for real men who believe in showing their women how special they are. Jah Cure is set to tour Africa for the first time in coming weeks. It is not clear if that’s where the singer is planning to have his honeymoon.

The Jamaica Major Investigation Taskforce (MIT) charged Adijah ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer for the following offences today. 1. Murder 2. Illegal Possession of firearm 3. Conspiracy to murder The charges against Kartel were made following the conduct of an interview this afternoon by detectives from the MIT in the presence of Kartel attorneys. The police said.

Word in the streets that Beenie Man’s 17 year-old daughter is pregnant. Rumours suggest that it is either for a popular deejay, or a young teenaged boy called 'Nick' who the young girl was dating a few months ago. There is a strong and persistent rumor on the streets since last week that his 17 year old daughter Desha-Gaye is pregnant. More surprising is that she is said to be pregnant for deejay, Aidonia, a former member of Bounty Killer’s Alliance crew.

72 Reggae Songs Proposed To Be Banned By The Jamaiacn Broadcasting Commission Anthony B - Tease Her Astronauts - Mek Wi Jam Baby Cham - Ghetto Story Barrington Levy - Unda Mi Sensi Beenie Man - Gyal Inna Bungle Beenie Man - Who Am I Beenie Man - Wickedest Slam Beenie Man - Yu Know Fi Whine Bob Marley - Burning & Looting Bob Marley - Guava Jelly Bob Marley - I Shot The Sheriff Bob Marley - Mix Up Mix Up Bob Marley - Pimper’s Paradise Bounty Killer - Look Into My Eyes Bramma - Voice of the Ghetto Buju Banton - Driva Buju Banton - Water Work Busy Signal - Done Wid Di War Busy Signal - Nah Help You Busy Signal - Tic Toc Byron Lee - O Carolina Byron Lee - Sammy Dead Byron Lee - Tiney Winey Cherine Anderson - Kitty...

Jamaica's police force arrested a suspect on Monday in the beating, stabbing and robbery of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's older brother Vincent Simpson. Andre Foreman, 21, of Kingston, was arraigned on charges of aggravated robbery, wounding with intent to kill and illegal possession of a firearm. He is due to appear in court on Friday. The robbers took J$30,000 ($310), a television set, a pistol and other items from Simpson, who remains in a Kingston hospital. Two other men who were suspected to be involved in the attack remain at large.

It is not unusual for people to do a double take, wondering if they are seeing doubles, when they see Paul 'Tu-Lox' and Patrick 'Curly Lox' Gaynor. After all, they are identical twins and perform as the highly entertaining and socially astute dancehall duo, Twin of Twins. And they are slated to do a double themselves shortly, releasing Stir It Up Vol. 8: Trial and Crosses, the latest CD in their gangster comedy series, and the Twinness Book of Records, which contains songs only. In previous 'Stir It Up' volumes, the two have been combined and Tu-Lox explained that "people did have a tendency to skip the song because they want to get to the talking. Not that the song no good, but they want to get to the talking". The artwork...

This is the black couple who have amazed medical experts after their baby daughter was born with white skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. Benjamin and Angela Ihegboro's daughter, Nmachi, has flummoxed genetic experts who are unable to explain why she looks they way she does. Doctors say the white-skinned newborn is not an albino. The blonde, blue-eyed girl's Nigerian parents say they don't know of any white ancestry in either of their families. Doctors say baby Nmachi Ihegboro is not an albino and attribute her appearance to an unknown genetic mutation. Nmachi, whose name means "Beauty of God" in the Nigerian couple's homeland, has confused genetics experts because neither of her parents has any mixed-race family history. Source...

After a two-year hiatus, the coveted Red Label Wine International Dancehall Queen title returned to Jamaica when Montegonian Tavia Morris, a 25-year-old nail technician, was crowned champion at the Pier One Complex on the Waterfront last Saturday, It was the 14th staging of the world's largest dancehall dancing competition. Last year, American Michelle Young upstaged the contestants who came from all over the world to secure the title and took the crown up North. The year before that Canadian Maude Francato won the contest. It was a great comeback for the nimble-footed Morris who last year made it to the top 10 after holding the patrons' attention with her tantalising moves. At the time, she seemed destined for the crown but fell...