KINGSTON, Jamaica : Cocaine weighing 362 kilograms with an estimated street value of J$494 million was seized at the Kingston Wharf

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Cocaine weighing 362 kilograms with an estimated street value of J$494 million was seized at the Kingston Container Terminal at Port Bustamante Saturday morning.

No one was arrested in connection with the seizure, the largest since the start of the year, police say. Information from the Transnational Crime and Narcotics Division (TCND) say that about 8:20 am security personnel were making checks at the facility when they came across “an empty container”.

The police and members of the Contraband Enforcement Team of Jamaica Customs were alerted. An examination of the container, which originated in Venezuela and destined for the Netherlands revealed ten travelling bags with rectangular parcels containing cocaine. Personnel from the TCND are investigating. Read more:

Six Things Nelson Mandela Believed That Most People Won’t Talk About....1. Mandela blasted the Iraq War and American imperialism....2. Mandela called freedom from poverty a “fundamental human right.”...3. Mandela criticized the “War on Terror” and the labeling of individuals as terrorists without due process & more...

In the desire to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life — an iconic figure who triumphed over South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime — it’s tempting to homogenize his views into something everyone can support. This is not, however, an accurate representation of the man.

Mandela & Castro

Mandela was a political activist and agitator. He did not shy away from controversy and he did not seek — or obtain — universal approval. Before and after his release from prison, he embraced an unabashedly progressive and provocative platform. As one commentator put itshortly after the announcement of the freedom fighter’s death, “Mandela will never, ever be your minstrel. Over the next few days you will try so, so hard to make him something he was not, and you will fail. You will try to smooth him, to sandblast him, to take away his Malcolm X. You will try to hide his anger from view.”

As the world remembers Mandela, here are some of the things he believed that many will gloss over. read more

IN JAMAICA: Web Of Corruption - JPs, Doctors And Civil Servants Colluding To Allow Persons To 'Beat The System'....."I gave the man my $20,000 and the form in the morning and him drop off my driver's licence at mi house that night".

Western Bureau:The tag of corruption, placed on justices of the peace (JPs) who are collecting fees for the services they should be providing for free, is being linked to a wider scheme involving other public officials.

"It is all but impossible for a corrupt JP to get away with an act of deception without being in collusion with other public officials," a senior JP based in St James told The Sunday Gleaner, on condition of anonymity.

"For example, to get a driver's licence back door (illegally), it usually requires a corrupt JP, a corrupt doctor, a corrupt person at the examination depot and corrupt officials at the Island Revenue Department, all working in collusion."

The various corrupt officials work in tandem with a middleman who arranges the transaction, sometimes without the person getting the driver's licence having to leave his or her house.

"I gave the man my $20,000 and the form in the morning and him drop off my driver's licence at mi house that night," confessed one man who admitted to 'buying' his licence. read more

2 y-o Adam Kirby, Child prodigy becomes youngest member of British Mensa.....and he is already smarter than Barack Obama and David Cameron.....child prodigy Adam Kirby enjoys reading Shakespeare, learning Japanese, Spanish and French

Adam Kirby potty-trained himself at one - after reading a book about it

He enjoys reading books for seven-year-olds and learning French vocab

He can spell 100 words and has conquered most of his times tables

Toddler, from Mitcham, south London, got 141 in Stanford-Binet IQ test

Parents Dean, 33, and Kerry-Ann, 31, say their son just loves to learn

A two-year-old has become the youngest member of British Mensa after taking an intelligence test that ranked him smarter than Barack Obama and David Cameron.

While most toddlers are busy learning to walk and scribbling on walls, child prodigy Adam Kirby enjoys reading Shakespeare, learning Japanese, Spanish and French, and even potty-trained himself.

Adam, from Mitcham, south London, took the Stanford-Binet IQ test and scored 141, 10 points higher that two of the most powerful world leaders and four points short of Genius level, despite not even being able to speak in full sentences yet.

Scroll down for video

The toddler’s parents Dean, 33, and Kerry-Ann, 31, say they realised their son was different when he’d potty-trained himself after reading a book on the subject aged just one.

MENSA: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST GENIUS CLUB

Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by Roland Berrill, a barrister, and Dr Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. 

The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top two per cent of the population.

Albert Einstein apparently had an IQ of 160, while former US presidents Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Bill Clinton also racked up very high IQs - mustering 128, 160 and 137 respectively.

Napoleon Bonaparte scored 145 and Sigmund Freud had a score of 156.

There are currently more than 1,000 members of Mensa aged under 18.

Children under the age of 10-and-a-half can join Mensa by submitting prior evidence of their IQ score being in the top two per cent.

Adults and children over the age of 10-and-a-half, take the Mensa Supervised IQ Test.

The youngest person to ever join British Mensa was Elise Tan Roberts in 2009 aged 2 years and four months.

At 29 months, Adam is able to spell 100 words, has conquered most of his times tables up to 10, has learnt his periodic table, and even mastered a world map puzzle designed for adults. Read more:

Wow: Columnist's Awful Comments On Mandela's Death

The world mourned the death of Nelson Mandela on Thursday, but at least one British columnist wanted it to stop mourning quite so much.

Rod Liddle--a writer for the Spectator magazine whose views on race tend towards the incendiary--scoffed at the amounts of coverage he was seeing on the BBC:

It's as if the poor bugger now has to bear your entire self-flagellating white post-colonial bien pensant guilt; look! Famous nice black man dies! Let's re-run the entire history of South Africa. That's better than watching the country we're in being flattened by a storm.

Liddle hedged his bets by allowing that, "on balance," Mandela had probably done good in the world.

Criticism came swiftly. read more

Joshua Bedford is young, gifted & Black......6 year-old studies Philosophy, Math, and History at Oxford University.... Scoring mostly 95 to 100 percent on all of his assignments

Joshua Bedford

For those of you who may have taken a breath upon reading this headline, please be mindful that this feature is reflective of what has become a common norm for African American and global youth profiles in this particular Courier series.

He is young, gifted & Black. Joshua Bedford is now the youngest student to study at the University of Oxford. At the age of 6 in 2011, he earned over five Distinction Certificates in philosophy, mathematics and history.

As cited by his father, Knox Daniel in a contributing article on “10 Extraordinary Child Prodigies” in a January 11, 2012 posting of ODDEE, Joshua earned five distinctions at the Oxford, England campus and had additionally completed a master-class Research Project in Historical Enquiry on the Great Plague of 1665, earning him yet another Distinction. read more

NELSON MANDELA SONG.....Performed by Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms

Dedicated to Nelson Mandela and De Klerk who ended Apartheid peacefully 
in South Africa and freed a whole nation. Performed by Nomfusi & The Lucky 
Charms She is the new soul sensation from The Rainbow Nation
For more informations and bookings go to www.delicioustunes.com ,

 join Nomfusi on Facebook and on Twitter www.nomfusi.com

Thanks to Richard Mills director of photography.

Revered anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela dies at 95

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and a towering figure of 20th century politics, died yesterday, aged 95.

The Nobel Peace laureate, who was elected South Africa’s first black president after spending nearly three decades as a political prisoner, died at his Johannesburg home surrounded by his family, after a long battle against lung infection.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Nelson Mandela
and Winnie Mandela give black power
salutes as they enter Soccer City stadium
 in the Soweto township of Johannesburg
shortly after his release from 27 years
in prison on February 13, 1990.

 

The news was announced to the nation and the world by a clearly emotional South African President Jacob Zuma in a live broadcast to the nation.

“Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation has departed,” said Zuma, who was also imprisoned on Robben Island. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”

Mandela was discharged from hospital in September, but continued to receive intensive care at home. He had a long history of lung problems after contracting tuberculosis while in jail. Read more: 

Biography of Nelson Mandela: End of Apartheid (VIDEO)

He was the first black president of South Africa, and he helped negotiate the end of apartheid rule. http://www.WatchMojo.comlearns more about the life and accomplishments of Nelson Mandela.

VYBZ KARTEL MURDER TRIAL: PATRICK LINTON, The court was told that his evidence had implications for national security....Jurors sent home to allow court to decide on admissibility of evidence

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Jurors have been sent home and the courtroom cleared in the Vybz Kartel murder trial to allow the court to determine the admissibility of certain evidence in the case.

Patrick Linton, former head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Cybercrime Unit is giving evidence. The court was told that his evidence had implications for national security, hence the need to have the courtroom cleared. Linton's evidence relates to telephone and other devices seized from the entertainer.

Kartel, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, and four other men are on trial for the murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams. The prosecution is contending that the murder was committed at the entertainer’s Havendale, St Andrew home on August 16, 2011. Read more: 

Mandela is dead: Chronology of an icon

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Key dates in the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela:

July 18, 1918: Born into Thembu royal family in Mvezo village in southeastern South Africa.

1940: Expelled from Fort Hare University College for participating in a student strike.

1941: Moves to Johannesburg, becomes policeman at a mine.

1944: Officially joins the African National Congress (ANC).

1944: Marries Evelyn Mase, a trainee nurse.

1948: National Party takes power in South Africa with its policy of racial segregation known as apartheid

1952: Opens the first black law practice in Johannesburg with Oliver Tambo.

 December 5, 1956: Is among 156 political activists arrested and charged with treason.

Read more:

The NELSON MANDELLA MEMORIAL - Song Free Nelson Mandella

It consists of 50 ten metre high laser cut steel plates set into the landscape, representing the 50 year anniversary of when and where Nelson Mandela was captured and arrested, on August 6, 1962 prior to his 27 years of incarceration. Standing at a particular point the columns come into focus and the image of Nelson Mandela can be seen.

The sculptor is Marco Cianfanelli, of Johannesburg, who studied Fine Art at Wits. Amazing.

Narrated and Edited by Rula Brown of RulaBrownNetwork.com and PALAS1.org.

NELSON MANDELA DEAD at 95........Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]) (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]) (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative, multiracial election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was the Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999..

A Xhosa born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. After theAfrikaner nationalists of the National Party came to power in 1948 and began implementing the policy of apartheid, he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign, was elected President of the Transvaal ANC Branch and oversaw the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961 but was found not guilty. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the South African Communist Party he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961, leading a bombing campaign against government targets. In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of sabotageand conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial.

Mandela served 27 years in prison, first on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife. Becoming ANC President, Mandela published his autobiography and led negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory. He was elected President and formed a Government of National Unity in an attempt to defuse ethnic tensions. As President, he promulgated a new constitution and initiated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Continuing the former government'sliberal economic policy, his administration introduced measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty, and expand healthcare services. Internationally, he acted as mediator between Libya and the United Kingdom in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, and oversaw military intervention in Lesotho. He declined to run for a second term, and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela subsequently became an elder statesman, focusing on charitable work in combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Read more

XLCR TRACK & FIELD: Wesley Powell meet key to development, says Myrie

THE Wesley Powell Invitational Track & Field meet is being deemed a very important item on the track and field calendar by at least one athletics official.

Addressing the launch of its 11th staging at the Excelsior High School auditorium yesterday, vice-president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Dave Myrie says the annual meet plays an important role in the development of young athletes.

Chairman of the Organising Commitee
 of the Wesley Powell Invitational Track & Field
meet Desmond Shakespeare shares
 pleasantries with (from left) committee
 member David Riley and senior vice-principal
at Excelsior High School Allyson Peart
at the meet’s launch at
Excelsior High School yesterday.
 (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

 

"Let me just say that this meet is fully endorsed by the JAAA... the JAAA is big on the development of our youths, and the genesis of our Olympians are heralded by meets such as this that we are doing here today," said the principal of Kingston College. The meet has contributed to the development of many athletes such as Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Melanie Walker, and of more recent vintage, Odean Skeen and Jazeel Murphy, to name a few.

The meet, which started in 1998 to honour the memory of the late founder of the Mountain View Avenue-based Excelsior High School Dr Aston Wesley Powell, has grown steadily throughout the years and has become a permanent fixture on the JAAA's calendar and the first stop for many schools as they seek to qualify for the ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championship. Read more: 

Blood at Kartel’s home.... But forensic analyst says DNA didn’t match uncle of ‘Lizard’

GOVERNMENT forensic analyst Sharon Bryson testified in the Vybz Kartel murder trial yesterday that blood, believed to be that of a male, was found at the entertainer’s house.

However, she testified that DNA analysis of the blood did not match that of the uncle of the man the prosecution believed to have been murdered.

Bryson gave the evidence during her examination-in-chief that blood, believed to be that of victim Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, was taken from the Havendale, St Andrew, house and that a swab was done of Williams’ uncle for DNA.

“The DNA did not match that of the uncle,” Bryson told the court. Asked by lead prosecutor Jeremy Taylor what could account for the failure to match DNA, Bryson said Williams’ uncle may be from his mother’s side of the family. Under cross-examination by defence attorney Tom Tavares- Finson, who appears with Chris Tavares-Finson for Kartel, Bryson said she was unable to say that the blood taken from the house was that of Williams.

Read more: 

PM announces $500-million infrastructure project

PM announces $500-million infrastructure project

PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday announced that the Government has initiated a ... 

more

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/#ixzz2mbqqxPLk

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Jamaican drug lord "Dudus" Coke had assets worth JA$300 million.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday December 4, 2013, CMC – Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the Jamaican drug lord, who is serving 23 years in a federal prison in the United States, had massed assets worth J$300 million (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.01 cents), Police Commissioner Owen Ellington has said.

Christopher “Dudus” Coke was
extradited to the United States
on June 24, 2010 after a bloody
standoff between his supporters
 and police that lasted
nearly a month.

 

Coke was extradited to the United States on June 24, 2010 after a bloody standoff between his supporters and police that lasted nearly a month.

Several people lost their lives as a result and the government set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe the circumstances surrounding the extradition after it had become public that the then ruling that the then ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government had sought to prevent the extradition.

The US court also ordered Coke to pay US$1.5 million in forfeiture

Read more: 

IN JAMAICA: Early adjournment in Vybz Kartel murder case as rumour of his freedom sparks court rush.

THERE was no evidence taken yesterday in the Vybz Kartel murder trial due to the unavailability of witnesses, which resulted in an early adjournment.

The adjournment came after lead prosecutor Jeremy Taylor told the court after the two o'clock resumption that he was unable to secure witnesses for the matter. The afternoon's early adjournment mirrored that of a early morning break to facilitate the defence meeting with experts from telecoms giant Digicel, who are to give evidence in the matter before the Home Circuit Court..

 Crowd gather outside courthouse

During the morning sitting, attorney Tom Tavares-Finson applied to the court for an early adjournment to see if the defence lawyer could meet with the Digicel experts as the meeting, originally scheduled for Monday afternoon, did not take place.

Justice Lennox Campbell granted the morning adjournment and said that the director of public Prosecutions should get involved in the matter to get the case going. Read more: 

TESSANNE CHIN MAKES FABULOUS 5 on The VOICE. LIKE, SHARE, DOWNLOAD & VOTE for TESSANNE To The Top Next Week.

With her outstanding performances of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and Katie Perry's
"Unconditionally" in previous session on The VOICE, Tess made her presence felt with poise, confidence and range to barrel her way through in the top 5.

With her charm, poise, excellent and consistent singing, Tessanne no doubt is one
of the favorite to take the top spot on the VOICE in a few weeks.

Tune in next week to take in TESS at her BEST. Vote, share, download and like her performances.
For more check out 

Fraser-Pryce Targets World Indoors, Sub-22 secs in 200m

Top female sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is hoping to compete in the 60m at next year's IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, and is ready to chalk out more 200 metres.

The IAAF 2013 female World Athlete of the Year and double sprint champion at the World Championships in Moscow ran three 60m and ten 200m races last season.

Fraser-Pryce

However, with the absence of the marquee Olympic Games and outdoor World Championships from the 2014 calendar, Fraser-Pryce is looking to continue to test herself on the indoor circuit in the 60m - after her debut earlier this year - as well as continuing to improve in the 200m.

"I definitely see myself running more 60m next season," said Fraser-Pryce, who capped a splendid 2013 season with Diamond League wins in the 100m and 200m. "I enjoy it, I did three last season and it was very good." read more

IN JAMAICA: More Than 200 Teachers Relocated - Thwaites

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites has indicated that some 200 teachers have already been redeployed as part of the ministry's thrust to save some $223 million over the next two years.

Thwaites said the relocation process has been going according to plan and that the ministry will be pressing ahead with more redeployment throughout the school year.

Thwaites

A disgruntled Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) is taking issue with how the process has been handled so far.

In an advertisement published in The Sunday Gleaner, the JTA expressed that it has been receiving reports that "teachers are being coerced into accepting to be transferred to other schools and in some cases threatened with loss of salary if they refuse to participate". read more

Tessanne Chin: "Redemption Song" & "Unconditionally" - The Voice Highlight (VIDEO PERFORMANCE). Vote by calling 855-864-2302

BILLBOARD: 'Police & Thieves' Reggae Singer Junior Murvin Dies

Reggae singer Junior Murvin, whose signature song "Police and Thieves" became a hit on the British charts not long after it was covered by punk legends The Clash, died Monday at a hospital in Jamaica. 

Junior Murvin

The Jamaica Observer is reporting that Murvin -- born Murvin Junior Smith in Port Antonio -- was admitted to a hospital in his hometown last Thursday for treatment related to diabetes and hypertension. The singer's son, Kevin Smith, told the Observer that an autopsy will determine the cause of death. His age has been listed as either 64 or 67 in various reports.

Murvin worked closely with legendary producer Lee "Scratch" Perry on his debut album, also titled "Police and Thieves," released on Island Records in 1977. The falsetto-voiced title track was released a year earlier as a single and was a hit with Jamaican youth for its pointed lyrics about police brutality and social strife. Read more at

Vote for TESSANNE CHIN (12/2/13) on The VOICE.....SHARE & VOTE 855-864-2302....."Redemption Song & Unconditionally"

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Tessanne Chin in the first of her two songs Monday night on NBC’s The Voice gave an emotional and well-received performance of Bob Marley's ‘Redemption Song’.

The six remaining contestants were required to perform two songs each as the talent competition gets down to the wire. Chin, in a long black dress, went among members of the audience, which included her husband Michael Cuffe Jr and her father as she belted out the Marley anthem.

"It is a very important song to me and my people and I want to get it right," Chin said before her Marley performance. "I was thinking about nothing, I was so immersed in that song, I'm sure not only is Jamaica proud of you, but the whole world knows the power and potency of Bob Marley and now, Tessanne Chin," Coach Adam Levine commented.

Christina Aguilera, as she has done throughout the show, again spoke to Tessanne's accent, mentioning that it has become more apparent. Read more

Translation underway to include Jamaican English (or Patois) in Linux-based operating system.....Currently, the Debian software installer is in some 14 languages and website translations in some 36 languages.

DEBIAN, a global computer operating system, aims to add Jamaican English, or Patois, to its installer in order to widen its coverage, according to the project translator, Michelle 'Afifa' Harris.

Its the latest drive to represent the language in formal settings. "When you read the instructions to install software, a lot of time people do not understand what it says. You just press 'Next'. So [Patois] will bring a level of basic understanding to a technical process," she told the Observer in an interview at Cafe Blue in Kingston on Thursday.

Harris, a manager and doctoral student was selected by Debian as the only Jamaican to translate starting January. It was part of a women in technology grant. Harris indicated that offering the installer in Patois removes a linguistic disconnect.                        

Currently, the Debian software installer is in some 14 languages and website translations in some 36 languages. The project will use the term Jamaican English rather than Patois to describe the language.

 Read more:

RULA BROWN's daughter Laurel Brown, Executive Director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District (BID) receives The BID Leadership Award from NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

The BID Leadership Award was presented to three individuals.

Attorney Laurel Brown receives
 award from NYC mayor, Bloomberg

• Laurel Brown / Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, Queens – Laurel Brown, a Harvard Law School graduate and currently the Executive Director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District (BID),is responsible for making Jamaica Center a thriving business hub and enjoyable destination to work, live and visit. The BID provides sanitation, graffiti removal, maintenance, and marketing services to the district..
  
•  Last year the Jamaica Center BID's Clean Team logged over 17,000 hours removing 1,100 tons of litter from nearly 50,000 trash bags from Jamaica Avenue, averaging three tons of garbage every day. Laurel manages her large district with limited resources, yet she is constantly encouraging her staff, colleagues, and youth in the community. read more