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BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, March 31, 2016     FALMOUTH, Trelawny — A policeman was among 19 people arrested in major anti-lottery scam operations carried out by several units of the constabulary between Tuesday and yesterday in the parishes of St James, Trelawny, St Ann, Kingston and St Andrew. Senior police officers who yesterday fielded questions from journalists during a press conference at the Falmouth Police  Station in Ytelawny. From left are head of the Area One  Police Assiatant Commissioner Winchroy Buddho; Senior Superintendent Clifford Chambers; Assistant Commissioner  Devon Watkis of C-TOC; and Deputy Superintendent Jason Anderson of MOCA. The 19 included seven women, while cash amounting to $1.8 million and a motor car were seized during the operations. “One of the persons taken into custody is one of our own, and that individual will be subjected to similar legal processes in contin...

BY TANESHA MUNDLE Observer staff reporter mundlet@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, March 30, 2016   ON Sunday when Norman Delhall left his home in McIntyre Villa, Kingston, with his daughter to attend the funeral of star footballer Jordan Foote, his plan was to only attend the church service and quickly return home to resume his tailoring commitments. But that was not to be. Shavell Delhall was a member of the Jamaica Under-19 Football Team. The 54-year-old tailor and his 18-year-old daughter, Shavell — a former member of the Jamaica Under-19 football squad — met their demise after the motorcycle on which they were travelling reportedly crashed into a cement mixer motor truck. The unfortunate incident occurred about 5:20 pm on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, while Norman was returning home on his motorcycle with his daughter from the Dovecot Memorial Gardens in St Catherine, where Foote was laid to rest. Yesterday, when the  Jamaica Observer  visited the...

 BY SHERDON COWAN Observer staff reporter cowans@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, March 30, 2016    After braving four days of intense competition at the recently concluded 31st Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique, Jamaica’s young swimmers deserve every bit of commendation. The 20-member team produced a number of outstanding performances and personal best times, including long-standing meet and national age-group records, as they did just enough to equal last year’s medal tally. Jamaica's Swimmers at 2016 Carifta Game Their 25-medal haul included eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze, which placed them fifth in the standings based on the quality of medals, but sixth overall. The team arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday where they revelled in the accolades after being received by the Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.  The team was led by the prowess of overseas-based Kelsie Campbell, who introduced herself to...

Published 03/24 2016 09:48AMUpdated 03/24 2016 09:49AM You could say the campus of Hamilton College has always had a slight presidential feel to it. Maybe that's because it's namesake, Alexander Hamilton, was called to the White House countless times during his lifetime. Arthur Williams Hundreds of years later, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is still calling. This time for a very different person. When Arthur Williams spent six weeks in Cuba this summer   studying the impact of micro finance on Cuban entrepreneurship , he never expected his work would be used to help the President. "It was kind of unbelievable, actually," Williams, a senior at Hamilton, said.  Just a few months after he left Cuba for the first time, Williams received a call from the President's speech writing team.  "The representative from the White House did mention to me there's not a lot of scholarship in Cuba and what's going on there," Williams said. "Once they saw...

03/28/2016 01:25 pm ET  Brennan Williams Pop Culture Editor, The Huffington Post It appears Sean Combs is  diddy-bopping  his way to improving New York City’s education system.   The acclaimed  Capital Preparatory Schools  announced on Monday that it has tapped the multi-hyphenated mogul to open a new charter school in Harlem this fall. For the Harlem-native, opening the  Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School  is a “dream come true.” “I want to impact the lives of young people in my community, and build future leaders. The first step is offering access to a quality education,” Combs said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. “Every young person should have the tools they need to succeed. All our children should be able to pursue their dreams. That is something I can impact with this school.” Joining Combs’ milestone venture will be educator and founder of Capital Preparatory Schools,  Dr. Steve Perry , who will ove...

An EgyptAir plane was   hijacked   while flying from Alexandria to Cairo on Tuesday. The jet, an Airbus A320, was forced to land at Larnaca International Airport on Cyprus. A statement from the Egyptian aviation authority said  there are 55 passengers on board  and five crew members.  Earlier media reports  put the number on board as high as 80.  According to Reuters, at least one man was   thought to be armed . Hiuacker claims to have a bomb on the plane. CNN reports that all the Egyptians on the plane were released, all foreigners are being held on the plane. It is not known who the hijacker is at this moment. A Cypriot official told The Associated Press the  hijacker demanded that police move away from the aircraft ....DEVELOPING STORY

G inger is delightful. Its bright, strong flavor adds a perfect kick to almost any dish. It’s been a favorite the world over for centuries and features in all kinds of cuisine. But it’s not just its great flavor that makes it so popular. Like many  delicious  foods, this spice packs a whole host of amazing health benefits that make it even more wonderful. Ginger In fact, a lot of  the foods you probably already enjoy are full of secret little health boosters , and ginger has one of the most impressive collections of benefits. The other nice thing about ginger is that it’s so versatile, you can include it in almost anything. You can use it in powder form to add a little spice to desserts, or add some fresh ginger root to a stir-fry for a pop of flavor. You can even boil it to make a tangy tea that will warm you right to the tips of your toes. And while you’re enjoying the flavor, you’re also doing wonders for your health — and it’s always great whe...

Sunday, March 27, 2016   Jamaica’s young swimmers ended on a high as they copped five medals to improve their tally to 25 on the final day of the 31st Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique on Friday. Members of Jamaica’s 15-17 bronze medal-winning 4X200m relay team (from left) Mattheau Bonner, Jesse Marsh, Barak Goren and Keenan Dols share a photo opportunity at the  Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique on Friday. The young sensations entered the arena in search of seven medals to surpass last year’s haul of 25 medals, but remained in good spirits as they did just enough to equal the tally. They ended with eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals. Despite not medalling in all their events, a number of Jamaica’s swimmers produced some creditable performance to achieve new personal best marks, while just missing out on a podium finish. Jamaica’s first medal prospect was Britney Williams swimming out of lane eight in the girls’ 13-14 400-metre f...

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, March 28, 2016   Defending champions Jamaica were well on their way to retaining their hold on the Carifta Games title for a 32nd straight year as they continued to pile up medals on yesterday’s second day of the 45th staging at the National Stadium in St George’s, Grenada. Among the many winners yesterday were three record-breakers in the individual events with Zico Campbell in the Under-18 Boys’ shot put and intermediate hurdlers Shiann Salmon and Shannon Kalawan. The Under-18 Boys’ 4x100m team also set a new record 40.40 seconds as they swept all four sprint relays. Aiko Jones in action for Jamaica in the Girls’ Under-18 discus at the Carifta Games at the Grenada National Stadium  yesterday. Jones threw a personal best 46.49 metres to win gold. At the end of the day, Jamaica was well set on a preliminary count of 55 medals — 26 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze — well ahead of Barbados with thre...

 03/27/2016 06:30 pm ET  Hillary Clinton In order to (try to) avoid a torrent of angry responses regarding Bernie still having a shot to win the nomination, let me state that I am not assuming anything, and that I think Bernie should absolutely continue his race for the nomination and not drop out. And, I write this as someone very sympathetic to Bernie’s agenda. Finally, while I believe both Hillary and Bernie could win a general election, I happen to think that Hillary is a safer bet. There has not yet been the torrent of negative campaigning against Bernie that Hillary has endured for a quarter of a century, and yet she is not only still standing but is not so far behind Bernie’s margins against Trump. Winning the general is far more important than whether it is Bernie or Hillary. Let me now move to why, if Hillary is the nominee, she should select Bernie as the VP candidate. Bernie Sanders 1. It shows the respect due a large portion of the Democratic ele...

Sunday, March 27, 2016     Not long ago, 31-year-old Latoya Williams was facing the reality of being homeless and unemployed with four children, and local authorities threatening to take her children from her. Now, she says she has much to give thanks for, primarily because Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica recently gave her a house. HOME AT LAST: Latoya Williams (centre), the formerly homeless mother with four children, opens the house that Food For The Poor Jamaica and Rainforest Seafoods Limited constructed for her  last week. Sharing in the moment is Roger Lyn, Marketing Manager of Rainforest Seafoods. Williams, who now resides along St John’s Road in St Catherine, was evicted because she was unable to pay her rent. With nowhere to live, authorities told her they would take her children from her and place them in the care of the State. After being told this, Williams developed a plan to get a house. “I used to buy and sell downtown with goods such as bag juic...

 Sunday, March 27, 2016     This year, for the first time in its 31-year history, the African Canadian Achievement Awards of Excellence (ACAA) presented individual awards to a mother and her son in the same year. Dr Rosemary G Moodie & Dr Jonathan P Wong Jamaican-born University of the West Indies graduate, Dr Rosemary G Moodie, who spent 25 years as a neonatologist and clinical teacher at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, received the ACAA Excellence in Science award. And her son, Dr Jonathan P Wong, who is currently specialising in the highly sought-after Paediatric Medicine Residency Programme at the same hospital, was bestowed with the ACAA Youth Achievement Award, last month. Although in the past the ACAA has presented individual awards to parents and their children, it has never happened in the same year. The ACAA, established in June 1985, and which has evolved into one of the Black community’s most prestigious and distinguished honours, has...

BY SIMONE MORGAN Observer reporter  Saturday, March 26, 2016     INCARCERATED deejay Vybz Kartel may have another legal battle in the works, as the appeal against his life-sentence conviction may take place later this year. Tom Tavares-Finson, one of the deejay’s attorneys, confirmed this development. INCARCERATED deejay Vybz Kartel “The transcripts have been reviewed and are just about ready. So it is possible that the bid for an appeal is likely,” Tavares-Finson told the  Jamaica Observer . Vybz Kartel, whose given name is Adijah Palmer; entertainer Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones; and Andre St John were sentenced on April 3 to life imprisonment for the August 16, 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.  Justice Lennox Campbell ordered that Vybz Kartel serve 35 years in prison, with hard labour, before he becomes eligible for parole. Campbell and Jones are to serve 25 years before becoming eligible for parole, while St John is to become...

An eye-opening remark from a former aide to President Richard Nixon pulls back the curtain on the true motivation of the United States’ war on drugs.  03/22/2016 12:58 pm ET John Ehrlichman, who  served 18 months in prison  for his  central role in the Watergate scandal , was Nixon’s chief domestic advisor when the president  announced the “war on drugs”  in 1971. The administration  cited a high death toll and the negative social impacts of drugs  to justify expanding federal drug control agencies. Doing so set the scene for decades of  socially  and  economically   disastrous  policies. John Ehrlichman Journalist  Dan Baum  wrote in the  April cover story of Harper’s  about how he interviewed Ehrlichman in 1994 while working on a book about drug prohibition. Ehrlichman provided some shockingly honest insight into the motives behind the drug war.  From Harper’s: “You want to know wh...

03/25/2016 06:51 am ET BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - Two Americans were killed in Tuesday’s suicide bombings in Brussels, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Belgian leaders and offered condolences and help following the attack. The family of siblings Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski  confirmed their deaths  to CBS.   We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all,” relatives of the two New York residents  said in a statement.    They   had been reported missing   since the blasts. Kerry, traveling back to Washington after talks in Moscow, stopped in Belgium to demonstrate solidarity after the attacks, which killed 31 people and injured hundreds of others. “The United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these...

Thursday, March 24, 2016   NEW YORK (AP) — A JetBlue flight attendant accused of trying to sneak a suitcase full of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport and making a dramatic dash to escape says she might not have been sure what was in her bag, a spokesman for her said Thursday as prosecutors suggested she had smuggled before. Marsha Gay Reynolds Marsha Gay Reynolds, a former Jamaican beauty queen and college track athlete, turned herself in Wednesday to face a federal drug charge. Authorities said they found 70 pounds of cocaine in her luggage at LAX on March 18 after she was flagged for a random security screening, flung off her high heels and bolted barefoot down an upward-moving escalator. They said she ran out of the terminal and crossed the country to New York.  Reynolds' spokesman Allan Jennings, representing her family and her defense lawyer, said, "She may not have been fully aware of what was in the bags". But Assistant US Attorney Al...

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 — Simone Morgan YESTERDAY, the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation handed over a cheque valued at $55 million to the Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew. The money represents proceeds from the Shaggy and Friends Concert held on the lawns of Kings House in January. Shaggy donated $55Million Cheque to  the Bustamante Hospital for Children Businessman Kenneth Benjamin, chairman of the hospital, said so far, more than 450 pieces of medical equipment have been purchased with proceeds from biennial concerts. “Over 77,000 children are treated at this hospital yearly. This is the only children’s hospital in the the Caribbean, so we attend to children from the region also. Shaggy and his team has proven that they are all about making a change and not just another avenue for talk,” said Benjamin at the handing-over ceremony.  This year’s proceeds will go towards several different ventures in the hospital, including the Intensive Care Unit...

The reggae community was plunged into mourning when news circulated that reggae singer Jimmy Riley had passed away last night after a long battle with cancer. He was 61. Jimmy Riley "He was in New York at the time,he had been getting treatment for the cancer. The family is devastated," a source close to the family told Loopjamaica.com. Tarrus Rliey posted an image with the expletive, "F... Cancer" in response to his father's death.  Jimmy Riley was born Martin James Ziggy Norman Riley, 22 May 1954. He is best known as a solo act but had carved out a great reputation as a member of the Sensations and The Uniques.  He had several hits in the 1970s, including  Tell The Youths The Truth ,  Nyah Bingi , and  Clean up the Streets , and continued to be successful in the 1980s, working with Sly & Robbie's Taxi productions. In 1983, Riley topped the UK reggae chart with his version of Marvin Gaye's  Sexual Healing . In the la...