By Dara Smith Jamaica’s preparedness to cope with the impact of climate change has come in for some attention at the ongoing 2014 Climate Change Investment Fund Partnership Forum in Montego Bay. The conference is being held to formulate strategies to combat the climate change phenomenon. According to Professor Michael Taylor, Director of the Climate Studies Group at the University of the West Indi... »
Chris Brown says he is innocent and will be going to trial in his drawn out Washington D.C. assault case. Brown appeared in court yesterday with his lawyer Mark Geragos. According to TMZ, the “Loyal” singer was close to copping a plea deal but things fell through the crack because Geragos and the prosecutor could not agree on a statement of fact about the events leading to the alleged assault. SEE... »
A lottery scammer, who on Tuesday pleaded guilty in court, was sentenced to five years in prison, at hard labour. Thirty-four year-old Linton Wallace, of Jubilee in Cambridge, St. James appeared in the St. Elizabeth Circuit Court to answer charges under the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act. He was arrested on August 15 last year during a police operation on the Crawfo... »
Fly Jamaica Airways has acquired a new wide body aircraft and says it will expand into three new routes before the end of the year. Director of Fly Jamaica, Roxanne Reece, says the aircraft which arrived in Jamaica on the weekend, will allow the airline to expand to other countries in South America. Fly Jamaica which started operations last year currently flies out of Kingston to Guyana, New Yo... »
An international survey has listed Jamaica’s capital among 10 world cities with the highest murder rates. The data, which came from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, show homicide rates per 100,000 people, for the most populous cities of 137 countries. The Americas overtook Africa as the region with the highest murder rate in 2012 – with eight of the world’s 10 deadliest cities. The findin... »
The world fastest man Usain Bolt is currently in Brazil watching his second favourite game, soccer. The Jamaican sprint legend is cheering on his favourite team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also got a chance to hold the iconic golden trophy that 32 countries are vying for in Brazil. Bolt is currently spending his down time watching the World Cup as he recovers from a lingering hamstring injury. ... »
Popular dancehall entertainer, Beenie Man, whose given name is Moses Davis, has accused the Jamaican government of targetting artistes. Beenie Man in an interview with Black Entertainment Television, (BET) earlier this month, said this is because of the wealth they have amassed. He also dismissed notions that members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force target artistes. (I don’t think the Jamaican po... »
by Carol Williams A mosquito-borne virus that arrived in the Americas just six months ago is spreading and afflicts nearly 4,600 people in the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization reported this week. Cuba is the latest country to confirm cases of the chikungunya virus, which has neither a vaccine for prevention nor treatment for its symptoms fever, rash, nausea and joint pain that can l... »
Demarco is now giving thanks for life after being involved in a near fatal car accident last night. According to reports, Demarco was driving his car in the Westchester section of Portmore when he hit a man off a bicycle. Both men were treated at the hospital and release. “I’m very thankful that no one was severely hurt. Give God thanks fi life,” Demarco said. Reps for Demarco told Urban Islandz t... »
Three months after confirming their split, Keyshia Cole has officially filed for divorce from her estrange husband Daniel “Boobie” Gibson. Earlier this year Keyshia Cole revealed that she and her ex-NBA player husband parted ways. But she didn’t filed for divorce immediately. Sources told TMZ that the R&B songstress has finally decided to pull the plug on their marriage. Keyshia Cole and Danie... »
Angie Martinez has announced her resignation from New York’s top hip-hop radio station Hot 97 after 15 years. Martinez, who is known on the station as DJ Angie Martinez, made the announcement today via her Instagram page and says today will be her last show. This is what she wrote on Instagram: Today I resigned from HOT97. I am grateful to the Emmis family for my time with the company and the imme... »
Vybz Kartel is very much alive and well despite some new rumors claiming that the self-proclaim Worl’Boss committed suicide in prison. Earlier this week several publications within the dancehall blogosphere reported that Vybz Kartel committed suicide behind bars. Several of the “Dancehall Hero” fans have been asking on social media if Vybz Kartel committed suicide. A close source to the incarcerat... »
Ninja Man will be performing overseas in the near future. The dancehall legend recently got back his travel documents and is cleared by the court to travel. For several years Ninja Man has been unable to travel outside of Jamaica due to a mountain of legal troubles including a murder charge. watch a video from Ninja Man below: Ninja Man, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, recently appea... »
Marijuana will no longer be illegal in Jamaica if the government is serious about their plans to decriminalize the drug. For over a century ganja has been illegal in Jamaica but that will be a thing of the past. Jamaica’s Justice Minister, Mark Golding, says that the cabinet will change the law to allow up to 2 ounces (57 grams marijuana for personal use. Jamaicans and tourist will also be allowed... »
Macka Diamond is being rocked by a scandalous photo making the rounds on social media. The photo surfaced online earlier this week and has been causing quite a stir in the dancehall diva’s camp. A rep for Macka told Urban Islandz that the photo is not what it seems and it was taken from the set of her recent music video shoot for her single “Karma.” “The photo is very misleading and was obviously ... »
MIAMI, USA (CMC) — A Jamaican national faces sex-trafficking charges at a trial here for stealing an Ohio man’s identity to run an international prostitution business. Prosecutor Olivia Choe argued during opening statements of his sex-trafficking trial in Miami federal court Monday that Damion St Patrick Baston was “a master manipulator”. Baston, 37, is charged with using “... »
Tommy Lee Sparta is opening up for the first time about that infamous audio recording of a man who sound like him crying about being roughed up by one of Vybz Kartel’s thugs. The Mobay dancehall deejay received some fallout in dancehall following the leaked audio and also his recent arrest and charge for lottery scam. According to Tommy Lee, the voice not is fake and was recorded by someone who is... »
Bounty Killer celebrated his 42nd birthday on June 12. The dancehall legend held a huge bash dubbed Hennessy Bounty Sundays at Famous Nightclub to celebrate his big day. Killer was presented with a giant Hennessy cake. Some famous faces also helped him celebrate his birthday including his arch rival Beenie Man, Wayne Marshall, Joe Bogdanovich, Bling Dawg, and more. “Hennessy Bounty Sundays the las... »
Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer KINGSTON, Jamaica: As the world keeps glued to the spectacle unfolding in Brazil for the next month, at least one psychologist is of the view that petty crimes in Jamaica will be reduced during the period. Dr Leachim Semaj believes people’s energies will be so focused on the World Cup that there will be less time for them to commit crimes. “Something signifi... »
Small amounts (no more than 2oz) will be permitted People will also be allowed to possess drug for religious, scientific and medical reasons Government also hopes relaxation will attract tourists Jamaica has announced its intention to plan to reform its drugs laws and decriminalise small amounts of marijuana, in a bid to attract more tourists to the island. The announcement made by Mark Golding, t... »
RADIO jock ZJ Wah Wa was given a trial date of September 15 when he appeared in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota in Fargo on Thursday. Wah Wa, whose given name is Deon-ville O’Hara, was making his first appearance in a North Dakota court since being transferred from Florida on May 27. The jock, who is employed to Zip 103 FM, was arrested by US law enforcement... »
Jay Z and his wife Beyonce are being rocked with scandal after scandal since that infamous elevator fight leaked online. Since the video made its debut online there have been a number of attempts to cough up an explanation as to why Solange attacked Jay Z. But the Carter family has so far only released a state Now a Miami female rapper name Liv is saying that she is the reason for the bizarre atta... »
Konshens is off the market and a lot of female dancehall fans are heart broken. Reports surfaced earlier this week that the “Gyal A Bubble” deejay popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Latoya and she said yes. Latoya, who resides in Florida, posted photos of her diamond engagement ring on Instagram and the congratulations keep pouring in. A rep for Konshens confirmed that the dancehall s... »
A mug shot of Clive Pullen on the website of a US county jail. Former Kingston College standout jumper, Clive Pullen, has been arrested in the United States for shoplifting, according to a detainee report posted on the Washington County Jail’s online system. Pullen, who now attends and competes for Arkansas University, was picked up for allegedly stealing fish and clothes at a Walmart Supercentre ... »
Vybz Kartel has been releasing a slew of new singles under the moniker Addi Innocent, which prompt fans to speculate on whether he is doing a name change or not. But the name Vybz Kartel is here to stay. A rep for the incarcerated dancehall star told Urban Islandz that he is not changing his stage name. “The name Addi Innocent is just a moniker we took on after the injustice handed down in the Sup... »
