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Headshot of Lilly Workneh Lilly Workneh Black Voices Editor, The Huffington Post Kyle Jean-Baptiste, the youngest actor --  and the first black actor  --  to play the lead role in a Broadway production of  "Les Miserables,” died after a tragic fall from his mother’s fire escape Friday. He was 21. Kyle Jean-Baptiste Broadway World  confirmed the news of his death, publishing a statement from Jean-Baptiste's company that expressed condolences to his family. "The entire LES MISERABLES family is shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic - and history - in his Broadway debut,” the statement says. “We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably difficult time."   The actor made his debut on Broadway this summer in the iconic role of Jean Valjean, the protagonist in "Les Miz,"  the longest running musical i...

BY HOWARD WALKER  Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce known to fans worldwide as the 'Pocket Rocket' exploded again in Beijing at the Bird's Nest stadium to score an impressive 10.76 seconds to successfully defend her World Championship 100m crown. In doing so she became the first woman to capture three 100m titles, thereby cementing her place as one of, if not the greatest female sprinters of all time. "I didn't know that I was the first woman to win three World Championship titles, but hey, that's good," said Fraser-Pryce while bursting out into laughter. Fraser-Pryce, 28, who also won gold in 2009 and 2013, got her usual bullet start and led from gun to tape, holding off the flying Dutchwoman, Dafne Schipper (10.81 seconds) and American Tori Bowie back in third spot with 10.86 seconds. Veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown was just outside the medals finishing fourth in 10.91 with debutant Natasha Morrison ended in seventh position with ...

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, August 25, 2015     JUST after images of incarcerated deejay Buju Banton entertaining his fellow inmates at a Georgia correctional facility in the United States went viral on social media, comes a new song from the artiste. (L) Buju Banton (R) Mark Hudson Released one month ago, the track is entitled My Favourite Song. Produced by locally based Stone Cold Records, the single features Marco. Head of Stone Cold Records, Mark Hudson, said My Favourite Song was recorded in 2001 but never released. He decided to release the song to maintain a positive image for Buju Banton amidst "constant negativity about the artiste". "Buju has always recorded for Stone Cold. It was the only other label he worked for apart from Penthouse and Gargamel Music. It was voiced long before he went to jail. At the time, he was experimenting with a new sound -- faster beats -- and so this has a kind of ...

Associated Press By Joe Mcdonald, AP Business Writer 3 hours ago BEIJING (AP) -- China's stock market fell Monday by its biggest margin in eight years, defying the government's multibillion-dollar effort to stop a slide that has wiped out the gains of this year's price boom. The decline threatened to weigh anew on global markets after last week's Chinese losses triggered a worldwide selloff. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 8.5 percent to close at 3,209.91 points, its biggest one-day loss since an 8.8 percent decline on Feb. 27, 2007. The index is down 38 percent from its June 12 peak and just under 1 percent below its closing on Dec. 31, last year's final trading day. "A disastrous result for China, after working so hard to breathe life back into domestic equities after the 2007 crash and having spent hundreds of billions of dollars propping up the market since June," said Angus Nicholson of IG Markets in a report. Small investors ha...

BY PAUL HENRY Coordinator - Crime/Court Desk henryp@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, August 24, 2015   THE 24-year-old man who jumped to his death from a bridge in May Pen, Clarendon had a history of mental illness brought on by marijuana smoking, his parents have claimed. This is the bridge The parents, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday, said their son Oraine Stephenson started displaying troubling behaviour and repeatedly spoke about hanging himself since he started smoking in 2010. Still, Kesbert and Ivorine Stephenson said they were shocked by the death of their son, who was on medication. They said his death came as a surprise because their son would often say he loved life when confronted about his comments about killing himself. The young man, a resident of Paisley in the parish, jumped from the Rio Minho bridge on Wednesday morning. He died after hitting the dry river bed, bringing an end to a life that had been on a downward trajectory sinc...

Monday, August 24, 2015     BEIJING, China — Usain Bolt brutally ended two-time doping offender Justin Gatlin's attempt to controversially usurp him as the king of sprinting when he blazed to the 100 metres world title yesterday. Bolt Da Greatest The towering Jamaican roared past Gatlin at the halfway mark to retain his crown in a season's best of 9.79 seconds, with his American rival taking silver just one hundredth of a second behind on a pulsating evening at the World Championships in Beijing. Before their blockbuster clash, Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill completed a fairytale comeback by winning her second heptathlon world title, helped in no small part by an astonishing meltdown by fellow Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson. But the night belonged to Bolt, who had played a high-stakes game of poker in the heats, running well within himself as Gatlin, dressed in a blood-red lycra suit, posted eye-popping times of 9.83 and 9.77 to seemingly gain the psyc...

Saturday, August 23, 2015 | 7:10 AM UPDATE:    WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS : #BEIJING2015: Usain Bolt wins the 100m semi-final in 9.98 secs to go into the FINALS....Bolt stumbled out of the starting blocks and almost fell. He regained the momentum and narrowly beat his competitors on the wire...Gatlin ran 9.77 secs to advance to Finals....Asafa (9.97secs) Powell lost on the wire in his semi-final to Tyson Gay....Powell ran his 99th sub 10secs in the 100m to make it into the finals.#RulaBrownNetwork Read more http://rulabrown.blogspot.com/…/beijing2015-usain-bolt-ease… Bring Back Our JAMAICA, #BBOJ's photo. KINGSTON Jamaica – World record holder Usain Bolt eased to a 9.96-second win in heat seven of the 100 metres to make it through to the semi-finals at the IAAF World Championships now under way in Beijing, China. America’s Justin Gatlin, who ran in heat six of the event, clocked 9.83 seconds to also advance to the semi-finals. He is the event's fastest qualifier. ...

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Saturday, August 22, 2015     FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Like a scene from a western movie, one of four robbers was yesterday shot and killed after allegedly engaging the police in a running gun battle in this historic town yesterday morning. The drama started to unfold about 11:00 am after members of the Highway Patrol responded to a call from a motorist that he was robbed along the Bogue Gate section of the North Coast Highway, near Falmouth. Police spotted the motor car with the suspects aboard and gave chase after the driver disobeyed their signal to stop. The vehicle was subsequently intercepted at the intersection of Newton and Cornwall Street where a shoot-out ensued after the men alighted from the vehicle and opened fire at the police. Officers from the Falmouth Police Station then went to the assistance of their colleagues as the men ran in different directions. One of the men who ran in t...

 Thursday, August 20, 2015 | 11:27 AM     ST MARY, Jamaica – Sixty-six-year-old Justice of the Peace and former Parish Manager of the Social Development Commission (SDC) in St Mary, Jeanette Rose-Bryan, was Wednesday charged with several offences under the Larceny Act when she appeared in the Port Maria Resident Magistrate’s Court. Rose-Bryan was charged with obtaining money by means of false pretenses, fraudulent conversion and conspiracy to defraud after she was implicated with a senior member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, DSP Denise McKain, who was arrested and charged on August 5, 2015 for similar offences by detectives assigned to the Major Organised Crime and Anti- Corruption Agency (MOCA). It is alleged that, during the period 2009 to 2012, Rose-Bryan and McKain used an unregistered organisation to fraudulently solicit and obtain money from farmers of the Three Hills Farm district in St Mary. A report was made to the then police Anti-Corruption Branch...

Thursday, August 20, 2015     WE welcome the news which coincided with our editorial in yesterday's edition on National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey, that the house in which he grew up in St Ann's Bay, St Ann, will be refurbished and transformed into a heritage site. Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna (file photo) The actual announcement was made on Monday in a message from Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna and read by Councillor Ian Bell of the Beecher Town Division during a ceremony to commemorate the 128th birthday of Mr Garvey, our first national hero, on the compound of the St Ann Parish Library in St Ann's Bay. Ms Hanna said that the property on which the house is located was declared a protected site in 1992, and that her ministry remained committed to preserving the legacy of this outstanding Jamaican. We are not easily swayed by mere words -- and we have heard many before on this very subject - but we take Miss Hanna at her word that: "W...

Tuesday, August 18, 2015     NEW YORK, USA (CMC) -- Usain Bolt's coach Glen Mills has backed the superstar to come good at this month's World Championships in Beijing. Usain Bolt The 28-year-old Bolt will enter the August 22-30 showpiece at the Bird's Nest Stadium with question marks over his form, after a series of lacklustre performances in recent months. However, Mills said while Bolt had suffered several injury setbacks recently which had affected his preparation, he was the type of athlete who was always highly motivated for the major championships. "The last two years have been very challenging for both Usain and myself," Mills was quoted as saying. "Unfortunately, he has had a number of different injuries to overcome which have affected his training and the number of competitions he has been able to compete in. "But Bolt is a champion who knows nothing but excellence when performing on the world stage." Gatlin and Bolt ...

Robert EVANS  Tuesday, August 18, 2015     ALTHOUGH Chris Gayle's Jamaica Tallawahs are aptly named, Jamaica's historical performance in the IAAF World Championships demonstrates the essence of the word tallawah. This uniquely Jamaican word depicts an individual of small stature exhibiting prowess way beyond his/her size, and one who must never be underestimated. (L-R) Merlene Ottey Usain Bolt Elaine Thompson With the 15th World Championships only days away, we can reflect on the rich past of little Jamaica in this world event and recognise that our track stars -- and, of course, cricketers -- have given Jamaica and Jamaicans a stellar reputation. Look at Jamaica's performance compared to the approximately 200 countries and 2,000 athletes that attend this biennial event which started in 1983. When one studies the statistics of the event, the USA's dominance is evident. They head the medal table with 300 to date. A tally of the 14 games so far, Jamaica ranks f...

Dawn Penn Veteran reggae artiste Dawn Penn has released a new single called  Never Hustle The Music , which speaks about the downside of being a recording artiste. It is no secret that several veteran reggae artistes were stiffed out of royalties due to bad business practices during the early days of Jamaican music. Penn tells  The Gleaner she is still scarred by her past experiences. According to Penn, who's single  No No No  is regarded as a worldwide hit, she decided to pen the song  Never Hustle The Music  because she is yet to receive payment for some of her biggest songs which are over a decade old. The iconic rocksteady/reggae crooner says her experience has led her to form her own record label, Da-Beat Limited, which is now responsible for the production of the majority of her new music, because she wants more control of her material. "I am putting out more music under my label Da-Beat Limited, so that I can be in control of my music. I h...

ALL WOMAN Monday, August 17, 2015 , By Margarette Macaulay Dear Mrs Macaulay, I was charged with cheque fraud and simple larceny in May 2014. This is my first offence and the amount I am accused of stealing is $50,000. Due to the fact that I am now pregnant, I wanted to avoid the stress of a trial during my pregnancy and offered to make full restitution, but the offer was rejected by the complainant and the prosecutor. Is there any way for me to avoid a trial and any further expense that a trial might incur? You write that you have been charged with 'cheque fraud' and 'simple larceny', in that you are accused of stealing $50,000. This I understand to mean that you are either charged with larceny as a servant, obtaining money by false pretences or uttering a forged document (cheque), and simple larceny. You can only 'avoid' a full-fledged trial by pleading guilty to the offence(s) with which you are charged. Then you can make pleas to the judge to miti...

Monday, August 17, 2015     SANNETA Myrie, a 24-year-old medical doctor, is Miss Jamaica World 2015. The dreadlocked Myrie was crowned at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James Saturday night. First runner-up was Royanne DeSilva and second runner-up Roshelle McKinley. Miss Jamaica World Sanetta Myrie (centre) is flanked by first runner up Royanne DeSilva  (left) and Second Runner Up Roshelle McKinley. (PHOTO: ACEION CUNINGHAM) Myrie, who won the Miss UWI contest in 2012, also mentors youth in Kingston's inner-city communities and runs an after-school progamme. She will represent Jamaica at the Miss World pageant in China in December. Sectional prizes went to Richelle Parchment (Most Adventurous Contestant) and Krystal Tomlinson (Most Congenial and Beauty in Business). Roshelle McKinley won for Best Figure, while Shari Jo Robinson walked away with the prize for Best Smile. Talia Soares was awarded Best Skin Tone, and Best Legs went to Jov...

 Jean LOWRIE-CHIN  Monday, August 17, 2015     AS we look to Beijing to the upcoming World Championships, I remember August 17, 2008, when my husband, Hubie, and I were there for the Olympics. I remember saying on our way to the Bird's Nest, "We have to get a gold for Marcus Garvey's birthday." I was being a bit ambitious, as we had already earned two gold medals and there were rumours that young Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was not at her fittest. This was her big day; her first Olympic 100-metre final, along with teammates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart. The triumphant 100-m girls in Beijing 2008. We were on our feet even before the starter's gun. And, as they stormed to the finish, with our 'Pocket Rocket' in the lead, we shouted, "one-two-three!" But a Russian looked at the board and shouted back: "No, Jamaica! It is one-two-two!" Later, as we stood teary-eyed for Jamaica's National Anthem, only Jamaican flags made thei...

 BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor -- publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, August 17, 2015     CITY planners and administrators have embarked on an ambitious project to transform Montego Bay into a technology-managed municipality that will, through sustainable development and investment, improve infrastructure and the lives of residents and visitors. According to Trevion Manning, director of planning at the St James Parish Council The 'One Bay For All' project, as it is named, is being implemented under the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) emerging and sustainable cities initiative (ESCI). According to Trevion Manning, director of planning at the St James Parish Council, the design for Montego Bay was developed over the past two years using a combination of previous plans submitted by various State agencies and other stakeholders in the city regarded as Jamaica's tourism capital. "The Urban Development Corporation, Planning Ins...

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter  Monday, August 17, 2015     SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — A man is in custody in connection with the murders of 43-year-old businessman Ricardo Sinclair and his 18-year-old son Ajani, who were both killed under controversial circumstances here last Friday night. The man was reportedly accompanied to the Savanna-la-Mar Police Station by a politician. Ajani Sinclair "We believe that this man can assist us tremendously in our investigation," ACP Ealan Powell told the Observer. The killings sparked a fiery demonstration in front of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital by irate residents who accused members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) of shooting the two. Both Ricardo and Ajani were shot just metres from the hospital where the elder Sinclair operates a restaurant. A strong contingent of police and soldiers had to be deployed to the area after unruly residents firebombed an old ambulance parked on the h...

Saturday, August 15, 2015     Dancehall artiste Aidonia is currently recuperating at home after falling ill at Digicel Paggee Fishermen Regatta held in Port Maria, St Mary, on Wednesday. Aidonia According to the artiste's management team, the entertainer -- who was billed as the headliner -- was unable to perform and had to be taken to hospital. "We sincerely regret the unfortunate situation as we are aware the fans came out in their droves to see a great performance. [We] would like to apologise to the organisers, sponsors and patrons," said a release to the media. The management team said a full refund was issued to the organisers.

Saturday, August 15, 2015  -- Racquel Porter A man who reportedly scammed a Canadian stage show promoter out of $300,000 by pretending to be the road manager of dancehall artiste Robert 'Gully Bop' Malcolm was denied bail in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court in St Andrew, yesterday. Gully Bop Kimauly Bull, 38, a resident of Tiverton Road in Kingston, pleaded not guilty to a charge of obtaining money by means of false pretence. Allegations are that Bull, purporting to be Gully Bop's road manager, arranged with the complainant to have Gully Bop perform at shows in Canada during June. The complainant reportedly sent CAD$1,240 and $2,480 via Western Union, on March 17 and 18, respectively, as part payment for the artiste to perform in Canada. It is alleged that efforts were made by the complainant to contact the accused, but to no avail. The matter was reported to the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), and Bull was subsequ...

Headshot of David Moye David Moye Pop culture journalist, HuffPost Weird News A performance artist and professor in Perth, Australia, always has something up his sleeve: An ear. For the last nine years, the artist known only as Stelarc has been  growing a third ear on his left arm,  all in the name of art. "As a performance artist I am particularly interested in that idea of the post-human, that idea of the cyborg," he said, according to CNN. "What it means to be human will not be determined any longer merely by your biological structure but perhaps also determined largely by all of the technology that's plugged or inserted into you." Stelarc, who was born  Stelios Arcadiou but changed his name 45 years ago, first thought about getting an extra ear in 1996. However, he couldn't find any surgeons willing to hear him out until 2006. The extra ear was made from a scaffold of biocompatible material commonly used in plastic surgery.  Stelarc originall...