NASSAU, BAHAMAS: Gunmen kill four in Bahamas drive-by shooting.

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – Bahamas police were searching for gunmen who shot and killed four people during a drive-by shooting on Friday night.

Police said that eight people were shot during the incident and that one died on the scene and the three others at hospital. Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade told reporters that the occupants of a “Honda-type” vehicle fired on the people “with a variety of weapons".

“We are satisfied that this is in fact the case based on the evidence and spent cases. Unfortunately as a result of that gunfire barrage eight persons from our preliminary information were shot and seriously injured, one person, an adult male, unfortunately succumbed here on the scene, three others died at the hospital,” Greenslade said. Greenslade described the shootings as “very, very tragic for this community and indeed very tragic for this country". Read more:

ST JAMES, JAMAICA: 20-y-o mother & 4 month old infant son murdered in St James......How can we ease the pain?

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter

Saturday, December 28, 2013 | 11:02 PM

ST JAMES, Jamaica -- The bodies of a 20-year-old mother and her four- month-old son, who both went missing on Thursday, were found at a National Water Commission (NWC) pumping station in the community of Sign in St James Saturday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as Melissa Evans, also called Shanice and her son, Jilani Green of Dumphies, also in the parish. Reports are that Evans and her son were last seen alive when they left home Thursday evening to purchase ice cream.

On Friday, a missing person report was made to the police. A search for the two ended when the grim discovery was made about 1:30 Saturday afternoon after the police were summoned to the area by an unknown person who called to inform them of the corpses.

Upon arrival the cops found Evans' body, with her throat cut, behind the utility company plant, while the toddler was found a short distance away wedged down a manhole. Members of the St James division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade worked feverishly to remove the baby's body from the manhole. Senior detectives from the Montego Bay CIB have launched a high level probe into the gruesome discovery. Read more:

15 year-old, Jaylen Bledsoe builds $3.5 million tech startup in Missouri with 150 contract employees around the world.

Jaylen Bledsoe

His interest in Information Technology (IT) began with a video editing course taken in third grade.

Five years later, our Hazelwood, Missouri talent in 2010 founded his own business while then just an 8th grader.

This venture, now three years later in 2013, has grown into a global enterprise worth around $3.5 million with 150 contract employees around the world.

He is young, gifted and Black. Jaylen Bledsoe is founder and chief executive officer of the start-up Bledsoe Technologies, LLC, an information technology consulting company.

According to Hazelwood Patch editor Candace Jarrett in her March 12, 2012 posting, Jaylen’s IT company specializes in web design, computer repair, search engine optimization, voice recordings and consulting..

Notes Cicely Haire in her September 5, 2013 Uptown account, Jaylen’s focus on start-up businesses, entrepreneurship, Venture Capital Funding and directed marketed platforms are targeted towards small and mid-size businesses. See more at:

The Voice's Matthew Schuler to perform in Jamaica on SHAGGY & FRIENDS benefit concert

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a Facebook post on Christmas Day, Matthew Schuler, one of the contestants on the fifth season of NBC’s The Voice, announced that his first show will be international.

And by international he means in Jamaica. "I'll be performing in the Children’s Charity of Jamaica Benefit Concert with Shaggy, my big sister Tessanne and many more," Schuler's post said. "This is the best Christmas present ever!

Matthew Shuler, Facebook Pic

"If (you're) on the island come see me!!!! #TeamMattJamaica", Schuler, who was on Christina Aguilera's team, was eliminated on the December 3 show of The Voice. He had fallen in the bottom two with James Wolpert of Team Adam Levine, who was "saved" by Twitter fans.

Tessanne Chin eventually won the competition, bringing home The Voice trophy to Jamaica. Michael Cuffe, Tessanne's husband, also tweeted that Schuler will be on the line-up. Read more: 

Mixed reactions for vintage SuperCat at Sting......."A lot of persons here don’t even know those songs…I am not impressed,"

Super Cat at Sting 2013

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — When the ‘Don Dadda’ Supercat made his entrance on the Magnum Sting stage at approximately 1:20 am Friday the whistles and firecrackers were almost deafening.

Everyone seemed to be anticipating a mind-blowing performance but that wasn’t necessarily the case. There were mixed reactions to Cat’s performance as some patrons vented that his set was somewhat boring.Among the vintage hits he performed were ‘Nuff Man a Dead’, ‘See Boops De’, ‘Unda Pressure’ and ‘Don Dadda’.

“Cat is a good artiste but his best moments were the early 1990s, a lot has changed since he last performed for the Sting crowd. A lot of persons here don’t even know those songs…I am not impressed,” said 37-year-old Vinton Thomas. Others however, identifying with Cat’s old school-delivery, warmed to the artiste’s performance on the night. Read more:

The 52 Most Breathtaking Photos From Around The World This Year

Welcome to our special edition of "Moving Image," a roundup of the best photos from around the world this year.

The following images tell the story of the past 365 days' most compelling events, capturing happenstance moments and monumental occurrences all over the globe.

Our picks for 2013 are: See more

Supercat Performing live At Sting 2013 ( Pt.1 & Pt 2 )

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Tessanne Chin has 2 songs on Billboard Top 100 chart...."I Have Nothing" and "Let It Be".....‘I Have Nothing’ is also # 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Songs chart

Jamaica Observer report

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Tessanne Chin, recently crowned winner of NBC’s The Voice, has two more songs on the Billboard Top 100, just a week after making her first appearance on the revered music chart.

Her stirring rendition of Whitney Houston’s classic ‘I Have Nothing’ sits just outside the top half of the chart at number 51 while another song, her duet of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’, with coach Adam Levine, is at number 76.

‘I Have Nothing’ is also number one on Billboard’s Heatseekers Songs chart where ‘Let It Be’ sits at number seven.Tessanne’s performance of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ entered the main chart at 64 last week, but has since fallen off.

All three singles also made it to the top 10 of the iTunes singles chart. Chin’s coronation song, ‘Tumbling Down’, which was written by Ryan Tedder of One Republic, is being heavily promoted and may enter the chart as soon as next week. Work will begin on her album early next year, the artiste told reporters at the Jamaica Observer Beechwood Avenue headquarters where she was a guest at the newspaper’s ‘Monday Exchange’ this week.

 

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Brooklyn teenager, cousin, murdered in Jamaica (NEWS VIDEO)

NEW YORK -- A teenager from Brooklyn was killed on vacation in Jamaica, and now her mother is talking about what happened and how she learned the news.

While visiting relatives in Jamaica, 19-year-old Franciena Johnson and her cousin were shot and killed just one day after she arrived.

Her heartbroken mother never imagined it might be the last time she would see her child when she sent her off for winter break to stay with her grandmother. But now Suzette Clarke-Grose, of Canarsie, is dealing with unimaginable pain.

After Franciena and 18-year-old cousin Nadia Fearon vanished, police found their bodies far from the resort areas, floating in a salt marsh near May Pen on the country's south coast.

Then Franciena's grandmother made the terrible phone call.

India Gang Rape Of Young Woman Leads To Arrest Of 10, Police Report

Indians hold candles as they commemorate last year's gang rape and murder of a young woman in New 

NEW DELHI (AP) — Police say they have arrested 10 people and charged six of them with allegedly gang-raping a 21-year-old woman on Christmas Eve in southern India, in another case of sexual assault of women in the country.

Officer Monika Bharadwaj says the arrests were made Thursday after the woman complained that she was abducted and raped while visiting a friend in Karaikal, a port city in Pondicherry state.

Bhardwaj said Friday that the woman has been hospitalized, but that she did not suffer serious injuries. read more

FBI Allowed Informants To Commit More Crimes In 2012 Than Year Before

Bloomberg via Getty Images

The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, D.C. (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON -- The FBI allowed its informants to break the law at least 5,939 times last year, a 5 percent jump from 2011, according to a newly disclosed document.

In a Jan. 14, 2013, letter to Justice Department officials, obtained by The Huffington Post through a Freedom of Information Act request, FBI officials disclosed that its 56 field offices authorized informants to break the law at least 5,939 times during the 2012 calendar year. USA Today reported earlier this year that 

the bureau allowed its informants to break the law 5,658 times in 2011. read more

10 Healthy Snacks for People with Diabetes

Snacks serve an important role in a diabetic’s diet. They help keep your 

blood sugar steady between meals and before exercising. And they help

treat episodes of hypoglycemia—when your blood sugar drops dangerously low. But skip the vending machine and try these healthy snacks instead.

read more

Stone Love Celebrates 41 - Red Stripe Oval The Venue For Second Straight Year

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell laughs heartily when The Gleaner asks him how many years of playing music his Stone Love Movements will be marking at the Red Stripe Oval, Spanish Town Road, tomorrow night. "We stop counting from last year," he said.

Of course, since the famed sound system celebrated its 40th anniversary at the same venue last December, determining which anniversary will be chalked off the music machine's calendar next is about as difficult as predicting which political party will win the popular vote in a Jamaican garrison constituency. Still, last year serves as more than a four-decade marker for the sound system dubbed 'The World Immortal'.

It is also a marker of a new, higher level of celebration. read more

Venezuela's homicide rises to 24,763 this year

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- A non-governmental group that tracks violent crime in Venezuela says the country's homicide rate has risen again in 2013 and has quadrupled over the past 15 years.

The Venezuelan Violence Observatory estimates that 24,763 killings occurred this year, pushing up the homicide rate to 79 per 100,000 inhabitants. It was 73 per 100,000 people in 2012. In 1998, the rate was 19. Venezuela's government has gradually blocked access to murder statistics as violent crime has worsened the past decade. The report published Thursday was compiled by researchers based on press reports, victim surveys and comments by officials.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said last week that the homicide rate has fallen this year from 50 to 39 per 100,000 inhabitants. But he declined to provide details.

 

IN JAMAICA: Lady Saw crushes Macka Diamond, last diva standing at Sting (VIDEO)

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- ‘War’ was declared between Lady Saw and Macka Diamond and in the end Saw was the last diva standing at Sting Thursday night.

"Send out the mongrel a whe she de," Saw hurled out on the microphone as she challenged Macka to the clash.

Lady Saw

Macka Diamond responded and the crowd roared. The clash then got ugly as both artistes began throwing expletive filled lyrics at each other.

However, a few minutes into the fiery clash it appeared that Macka either forgot her lines or ran out of lyrics leaving Lady Saw in all her glory as her rival tried to regroup. Apparently in desperation Macka then fired back that Saw could not keep her husband and the crowd started booing. "Cum off a d stage u a fool," saw shouted and minutes later Macka retreated. Read more: 

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: 47-Y-O Man Gets Nine Months For Child Pornography.

A 47-year-old Kingston man was sentenced to nine months in prison after he was charged with breaching the Child Pornography Act. 

He is Gary Williams of a Hannah Town address. Reports are that on July 27, the police searched Williams’ cellular phone after he allegedly stole a wallet from someone in downtown Kingston. Videos with children performing sex acts were found on his phone.... 

Williams, who is currently serving 18 months for the robbery charge, told the court that although the videos were on his phone, he never watched them. read more

Las Vegas cab driver finds US$300,000 on back seat

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Las Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa thought someone left a bag of chocolates in the back seat of his vehicle, but the stash turned out to be $300,000 in cold hard cash.

Now, Gamboa is winning honours for honesty after turning in the money he found Monday. The money was returned to an unidentified poker player. Yellow Checker Star Transportation named Gamboa its driver of the year and rewarded him with US$1,000 and a dinner for two at a restaurant.

A message left Wednesday for Gamboa at the cab company wasn't immediately returned.

Gamboa told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he had another passenger by the time he began wondering what kind of chocolates were in the brown paper bag. He peeked inside at a traffic light. Read more: 

ISU Researcher Dr. Dong-Pyou Han Resigns For Faking AIDS Research Worth Millions

A researcher at Iowa State University resigned after being investigated for falsifying AIDS research funded by millions in federal grants.

Dr. Dong-Pyou Han, an assistant professor in biomedical sciences at ISU, added human blood components to rabbit blood to make it appear that a vaccine was working to fight HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, the Des Moines Register reports.

Han was working for a research team led by biomedical professor Michael Cho, but Han acted without knowledge of anyone else on the team, according to the Register. They both came to ISU from Case Western University in 2009. The research had generated at least $19 million in funding from the federal government. read more

Like 7 Foods that will Make You Feel Sexier.

Legend has it that Cleopatra often put saffron leaves in her bathwater to spice up her sex life. In praise of its celebrated fertility, the ancient Aztecs referred to the avocado tree as the "testicle tree." And the ancient Ayurvedics were known to prepare a recipe of eggplant and chives to enhance love making.

It seems the more things change the more they stay the same. Modern research has established that many common foods and spices contain antioxidants, neurotransmitters and phytonutrients that trigger powerful mind altering endorphins which can make us feel sexier! read more

BREAKING NEWS: 17 migrants die when their intercepted boat capsizes at Turks and Caicos.......The U.S. Coast Guard, assisting the islands' rescue crews, retrieved about 55 Haitians in waters

(CNN) -- At least 17 people have died and dozens more were rescued after their boat capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean on Wednesday, according to the local government and U.S. officials.

The U.S. Coast Guard, assisting the islands' rescue crews, retrieved about 55 Haitians in waters 100 meters from shore, the U.S. agency said. They fell into the water when their overloaded sail freighter tipped over, the guard said.

The nationalities of the 17 dead people weren't immediately clear Wednesday, but 12 were males and five were female adults, said Colin Farquhar, commissioner of Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Earlier reports had put the death toll at 18.

Farquhar added that the search for additional casualties concluded late Wednesday because of darkness and worsening seas. The search will resume Thursday, he said.

Although the Coast Guard put the number of rescued at near 55, local authorities used different numbers.

A total of 33 people -- 21 men including a child and 12 females -- were detained as suspected illegal Haitian migrants and "will be repatriated to Haiti at the earliest opportunity," Farquhar said. read more 

From Homeless To Harvard (And Beyond): Khadijah Williams Starts New Life In NYC (VIDEO)

In 2009, Oprah met Khadijah Williams, a driven young woman who grew up in homeless shelters but never stopped believing in herself and the power of education. Though she went to 12 different schools in 12 years, she managed to graduate high school with honors and was accepted into Harvard University. Four years later, she graduated with a degree in sociology and even got a shout-out from Oprah during her2013 commencement speech.

Khadijah Williams at Harvard graduation

Williams -- who says she was in the bathroom when a friend came running in to tell her Oprah was talking about her on stage -- now has quite an impressive reference. "Just to have someone like Miss Winfrey acknowledge you and say, 'You did a great thing,' … it's not only a great confidence booster, but it's also something I can send to employers like, "Look! Oprah talked about me, here's my recommendation!'" Williams says. read more

Music: JAMAICAN Samantha J's New York takeover..... New hit single "Tight Skirt" has over one million Youtube hits in a very short time.

With her debut single/music video creating havoc on varied charts, Samantha J recently took over New York City leaving everyone with the question: "Could she be the next big star from the Caribbean?" while comparing her to the likes of Rihanna and Britney Spears.

Announcing that her follow-up single will most likely be a song dubbed Run Come, Samantha J opened BET's 106 & Park 'Young Star's Week' with an impeccable performance that left the studioaudience in a screaming frenzy while reppin' the black, green, and gold.
read more

CLARENDON, Jamaica : 19-y-o relatives found dead on separate days

CLARENDON, Jamaica -- Two teen girls, both relatives, were found afloat in the Salt Marsh River in Clarendon, on separate days, after missing person reports were filed for them on Friday, December 20.

They have been identified as Franciena Johnson of a Jacobs Hut address in May Pen and a Brooklyn, New York address, and Nordia Fearon of Fora Road in Salt River. They were both 19 years old. Johnson's body was discovered last Friday about 10:30 pm when residents heard explosions and summoned the police.

When the police got to the community, they saw Johnson's body afloat in the river with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Fearon's body was discovered three days later about 10:00 am. She was also fished from the river but the cause of her death has not yet been ascertained. Read more: 

Season's Greeting's from RulaBrownNetwork (RBN). Wishing you and your family the best for 2014. Thanks for all the support to RBN "Making a Real Difference Together" & PALAS.

40 million Smart Cards Could Have Protected Target Shoppers From Identity Thieves

After thieves hijacked credit and debit card data belonging to 40 million Target shoppers, many blamed the retail giant for putting them at risk of identity theft.

But some experts are also pointing to a less visible culprit: the credit card industry. Card issuers might not have been able to prevent the recent data breach at Target, but if they had upgraded to more secure technology, they could have deterred thieves from using that stolen information to make counterfeit credit cards. read more

TESSANNE CHIN overwhelmed with the support she received from Jamaicans and their overall reaction to her historic achievement.

A week after Tessanne Chin made Jamaica proud by winning the popular NBC singing contest, The Voice, she is still moved by the support she received from Jamaicans and their overall reaction to her historic achievement.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think there would be this reaction... such a reaction from Jamaica, the diaspora and everybody," Chin told the weekly Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange yesterday.

Tessanne Chin addressing yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s head office in Kingston. Flanking her are her manager Sharon Burke (right) of Solid Agency, and LeAnn Ollivierre also of Solid Agency. See stories on Pages 4, 5 and 35. (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)  2/2

"It has completely blown me away, and I feel like I have woken up in a bit of a dream. The overwhelming support that everyone has shown me has just blown me away... I don't think words can do it justice," she stated.

Read more: 

US Deports 'Most Wanted Fugitive' To Jamaica......1,119 deportees....Jamaica among the top 10 countries with the most deportees from the US.

One of the United States' "most wanted fugitives" has been deported to Jamaica.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Clive Dixon, 46, otherwise known as Rambo, was sent back to Jamaica, last Thursday.

Dixon is said to have been eluding ICE agents since 2010, when he evaded police arrest.

A release on the ICE website stated that Dixon was once a permanent resident of the US but was deported in 1993 following his conviction for criminal possession of a firearm. The agency said he reentered the country illegally on an unknown date.

The release said Dixon was captured in Brooklyn, on October 24, without incident.

Meanwhile, statistics from the agency have named Jamaica among the top 10 countries with the most deportees from the US. read more

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Gomes disappointed ... Shopping downtown ... Police get new vehicles....West Indies cricket overhaul

Don Drummond's Life, Art Find The Page......The Genius and Tragedy of the World's Greatest Trombonist is available at amazon.com

Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy of the World's Greatest Trombonist by Heather Augustyn has been published by McFarland Publishing and is now available.

The book is a comprehensive biography of a brilliant musician and his lover, who forever shaped the course of ska, reggae, and popular musicworldwide despite poverty, class separation, mental illness, racial politics, exploitation, and sexism that resulted in murder.

The foreword is written by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis.

Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy
 of the World's Greatest Trombonist
 is available at amazon.com,
 mcfarlandpub.com, and skabook.com.

Through the words of Don Drummond's childhood friends classmates, musicians, medical staff, legal counsel, and teachers, comes a story of his "unusual mind".

They recall the early days in the recording studio, playing the instrumental backup for Bob Marley and others, and the nights in the Rasta camps where musicians burned the midnight oil and more. They roam the halls of the primitive and haunting mental hospitals where Drummond reached the lonely depths of his schizophrenia. read more

IN JAMAICA: SELLOUT, The Jamaica-based brewery, Red Stripe, says it has sold its minority shares in 'Haiti and the Windward St Lucia to Heineken.

The Jamaica-based brewery, Red Stripe, says it has sold its minority shares in the Brasserie Nationale d'Haiti and the Windward & Leeward St Lucia to Heineken.

Red Stripe said it received US$9.3 million for the sale of the 15 per cent shares in the two companies and that the funds would be used for capital investments.

"This is the right time to dispose of these minority shareholdings as we have ambitious plans for Red Stripe, with several major initiatives being undertaken," Cedric Blair, Red Stripe's managing director, said in a statement.

"These include the installation of our co-generation plant, plant optimisation, and Project Grow - the conversion to the use of locally sourced raw materials."

The two Caribbean-based breweries that have been sold will continue to brew Guinness under licence for Diageo, in addition to the other licensed breweries in Guyana, Trinidad, The Bahamas, St Vincent, Belize, Grenada, St Kitts, Barbados, Panama, Dominica, and Antigua. read more