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Joanne Quinn will spend two years and six months behind bars for failing to provide the necessaries of life for her elderly mother. The 51-year-old was sentenced in Napier District Court this afternoon, following a severe case of neglect never before seen in New Zealand. Quinn was found guilty in a judge alone trial last month by Judge Down, who sentenced her to two years and six months' imprisonment today.Crown prosecutor Steve Manning said during today's submissions: "The extent of the neglect and the callous nature was so severe ... this requires a term of imprisonment."

ReggaeMe - VP Records is proud to announce the release of Volcano Eruption. Henry “Junjo” Lawes’ was one of the most influential producers of the early Dancehall era. This album features hits from Singers and Deejays that shaped Reggae music into the multicultural genre we know today. Volcano Eruption is comprised of some of the most veritable and significant hits in Reggae Music. This 2 CD/DVD package includes 40 tracks from a variety of celebrated artists that worked with “Junjo” Lawes’ Volcano Label. On the singers side is the exceptional Barrington Levy’s “Prison Oval Rock” and “21 Girl Salute” with production by Junjo and The Roots Radics; the most sought after band of the early Dancehall period. Continuing with the...

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...

The deadly earthquake that felled much of Haiti's capital last week broke 250 years of strain -- a tension that had built slowly across the nearby fault as it resisted the inexorable tug of drifting tectonic plates. Geologists who have studied the complicated fault system in the area say more quakes could follow last week's disaster, which killed an estimated 50,000 to 100,000, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Often quakes such as this trigger others nearby in a domino effect, the experts say. In coming years, other sections of the same fault are likely to rupture, threatening not only Haiti but also the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. While scientists cannot predict earthquakes, they can make rough...

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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...

Transport and Works Minister Omar Davies said a study has reviewed the natural resources of the island's largest protected area as the government advances plans for a possible Chinese-financed port in the zone. A transshipment port is proposed for the Goat Islands off Jamaica's south coast. It would be in a protected zone that is home to three fish sanctuaries and a number of threatened animal and plant species. Environmental groups have strongly criticized the plan. China Harbor Engineering Co. prefers the site for its proposed investment with a value of $1.5 billion.

The Rastafarian faith is indeed rising in Jamaica, where new census figures show a roughly 20 percent increase in the number of members over a decade, to more than 29,000. While still a tiny chunk of Jamaica's 2.7 million people. Founded 80 years ago by descendants of African slaves, the Rasta movement's growing appeal is attributable to its rejection of Western materialism, the scarcity of opportunities for young men in Jamaica and an increasing acceptance of it. Other Rastafari adherents follow a more secular lifestyle, marked by a passion for social justice, the natural world, reggae music and the ritualistic use of pot to bring them closer to the divine. A merging of Old Testament teachings and Pan-Africanism, Rastafarianism...

Jamaican Tajay Gayle made history when became the first-ever Jamaican to score a gold medal in the long jump event at the World Championships. The 23-year-old set a new personal best with a jump of 8.69 metres. It is also a new national record, erasing the 8.62 metres which was held by James Beckford. Gayle, who entered the championship with a personal best of 8.24 metres, struggled during the qualifying round and made the final with the 12th best jump of 7.89 metres. He now joins Beckford, who won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, as the only Jamaicans to win a medal in the long jump at the world championships.

“Beenie Man a di biggest hypocrite, laugh an’ skin teeth wid man like him an’ dem a fren wen him in front a dem, but chat a bag tings behine dem back,” says Ninja Man. “When mi a kill people mi nuh haffi have nuh hit song. Mi use on the spot lyrics an’ kill people,” says Ninja Man who is responding to comments recently made by Beenie Man on CVM’s On Stage entertainment programme with host Winford Williams. Ninja Man, who is referred to as ‘Mr. Sting’ because of his many on stage clashes, said it was not only lyrics that dictate who wins clashes. “It teck stagecraft, literacy, respect fi yuh fans, how yuh dress and most of all, how fi bring it ‘cross to the people that it is not a physical thing. After wi nuh live in di...

Deejay Busy Signal is currently involved in 'baby mother drama', as the mother of a five-and-a-half month old baby is seeking the help of the Family Court to establish paternity and to obtain child support. Shantal Chin explained that she recently visited the Family Court in downtown Kingston on Monday, where a summons was sent to the deejay, whose real name is Reanno Gordon. The two are to appear for family counselling on October 7. According to 19-year-old Chin, she and Busy were together for one year and seven months and she was one month pregnant when the two broke up. She says however, that since becoming pregnant and having the baby she has only received money from the deejay a few times as he claimed the baby was not his. A...

It was herd that unknown men shot up the singer black range rover,back glass was shot out & tires..shots were herd in the area by residence & gun shots also reach far as his house had bullets in the walls..police came in early this morning investigating the matter at hand but the singer Movado is okay!

Beres Hammond was due to perform at the popular venue in Greenwich alongside fellow reggae stars Morgan Heritage and Marcia Griffiths as part of the Beres and Friends UK tour. Beres Hammond failed to show up for the concert in east London's IndigO2 on Wednesday July 17, 2013 after one of his band member was denied entry into the UK. The drummer for Beres band was allegedly stopped at customs a few hours before Beres headline performance was supposed to be held, forcing him to make the difficult decision to stand by his friend and band member to return Jamaica. The show went ahead without the headline act, with many fans left wondering whether the star's health was to blame for the no-show. A statement have been issued by Base...

A medical team from the Ministry of Health left Jamaica on Friday (January 22), to relieve colleagues in Haiti who have been helping with relief efforts, following the January 12 earthquake. Jamaica currently has a 26-member health team stationed in Port-au-Prince, comprised of doctors, emergency medical technicians, public health inspectors, nurses and a health educator. Since arriving in Haiti, the team has been working from two facilities and has seen about 150 new patients within the first three days of arriving. They have also performed surgical operations. Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, publicly thanked the medical team for the work they have been doing to help Haitians affected by the earthquake.

Adidjah "Vybz Kartel" Palmer, who is facing two murder charges, has been ordered by the Supreme Court to pay J$15 million in damages to Jamaican promoter Alton Salmon for his failure to perform at a concert in the Turks and Caicos Islands in August 2009. Salmon said he paid Vybz Kartel a deposit of US$8,500 and the balance was to be paid at the end of the show. Salmon said he honored the agreement however Kartel breached his contract by not appearing to perform at the show. After the suit was filed in the Supreme Court, the defendant Vybz Kartel was served with the court documents in relation to the suit on December 23, 2009. Kartel failed to file acknowledgement of service or made any attempt to defend the suit brought against...

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit says Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, traveled to Sarasota last week to make the purchase along with two others. The DEA was tipped off by a confidential informant who agreed to wear a recording device during the drug negotiation session. Banton, 36, faces a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Banton was being held at Miami's downtown detention center Monday pending transfer to Tampa, where the case is being prosecuted. Affidavit is availible to download below.

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...

Fresh from receiving yet another accolade by winning Video Of The Year for "Kotch" at the 2013 Music Industry Achievers Awards, RDX delights their fans by releasing another hit bound video with "Right Squeeze". Adding yet another notch on their hit list, the video premiered this past week on Entertainment Report on TVJ in Jamaica. Produced by Top Floor Videos and directed by Cwill & Abed, "Right Squeeze" pulls footage from their worldwide touring and gives a glimpse on the "madness" that is an RDX concert. With a scheduled filled of studio and tours, the charismatic duo will be taking the stage at "The Greatest Show On Earth: Sumfest" for Dancehall night this upcoming Thursday July 25th in Jamaica. RDX will be amongst a stellar...

Deejay Black Rhyno, yesterday confirmed reports that he has severed ties with the Vybz Kartel-led Portmore Empire. The deejay, whose real name is Romane Anderson, is most known for his track Bike Back on Russian's Strip Club Riddim, and is said to be one of the Empire's biggest money makers, outside of the self-proclaimed Gaza president, Kartel. However, Rhyno has dismissed reports that his split with the Empire has anything to do with money. "I know it has been said that there has been some money issues with me and the Empire, but I want to state clearly that it has absolutely nothing to do with money," the deejay said. Source: Jamaica Observer