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Hillary Clinton  Thursday night will be the first woman to accept the presidential nomination of a major U.S. political party, capping a historic week in which Democratic leaders made the case that she is the best person to serve as president. Clinton’s acceptance comes after President  Barack Obama  on Wednesday painted a resoundingly optimistic picture of the country and said he was passing the baton of leadership to Clinton. Obama also went after  GOP nominee Donald Trump , portraying him as uninterested in facts and insulated by a lifetime of not caring about poor people. In her speech, Clinton will say the U.S. faces a “moment of reckoning.” “Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart,” she says in excerpts of her speech released by her campaign. “Bonds of trust and respect are fraying.  And just as with our founders there are no guarantees. It’s truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we’re going to work together so we can all rise togethe...

RUSS CHOMA JUL. 28, 2016 5:54 PM On Wednesday, Donald Trump angrily told reporters that he had no connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I have nothing to do with Putin," he said. "I've never spoken to him. I don't know anything about him other than he will respect me." Donald Trump But those comments contradict what he said in 2014, when he spoke at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. During this appearance, he discussed US-Russian relations and claimed that he had talked to Putin during a recent visit to Moscow, where Trump held his Miss Universe pageant. Here's what Trump told the Press Club audience: Russia does not respect our country any longer. They see we've been greatly weakened, both militarily and otherwise, and he certainly does not respect President Obama. So what I would do—as an example, I own Miss Universe, I was in Russia, I was in Moscow recently and I spoke, indirectly and directly, with Pre...

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor – special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, July 27, 2016     Marjorie Crooks relies on a miracle every day to put food in the mouths of the 12 dependents in her care. In addition to caring for a disabled daughter, Crooks – who lost two of her sons to violence – has now become caregiver and provider to four grandchildren, her 84-year-old mother who is suffering from a stroke, a 50-year-old mentally challenged man who has lived with the family since his mother died, a daughter she adopted at three months old, a god-daughter who has always lived with her, as well as her other biological children. All this the 45-year-old single mother does without an income as she has devoted her time to caring for her daughter with cerebral palsy. Crooks’ troubles began when one of her twin girls was diagnosed with the debilitating cerebral palsy 13 years ago. Crooks, who already had five boys, was excited at the birth of twi...

07/26/2016 06:38 pm ET Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton famously said her first White House bid had put “about 18 million cracks” in the glass ceiling , one for each voter who’d cast a ballot for her in the 2008 primary. On Tuesday, that glass ceiling finally came down. Hillary Clinton nominated as President of  USA Clinton was formally named the Democratic nominee for president at her party’s convention in Philadelphia, making her the first woman ever to top a major party’s ticket for the White House. More than 200 other women have sought the presidency since 1872, but none have come this far. The female Democratic leaders gathered in Philadelphia this week have  waited their entire lives  to see one of their own reach this point, just a step away from the Oval Office. To them, Clinton’s nomination represents the culmination of  decades of work  devoted to tearing down the barriers women have faced seeking high office in America.   “Yes...

July 26, 2016, 10:42 am  By Joe Concha Fox News contributor George Will says GOP presidential nominee  Donald Trump  will not release his tax returns because they may show "he is deeply involved in dealing with Russia oligarchs."  The claim — which Will could not support with any tangible proof — was made to Bret Baier on Fox News's "Special Report" live from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday night. The topic was raised after some Democratic Party officials, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee   Hillary Clinton 's campaign manager, Robby Mook, attempted to connect the Republican presidential nominee to a leak of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails. Putin The Friday release by WikiLeaks of those emails, which appear to show an effort by DNC officials to lead a campaign against Clinton's primary rival, Sen.  Bernie Sanders  (I-Vt.), led to the resignation of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Sch...

07/25/2016 05:36 pm 17:36:21 TOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) - Nineteen people were feared dead and 45 injured after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in Japan early on Tuesday, national broadcaster NHK reported. Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Tokyo, have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year old former employee at the facility, Japanese media reported. They said staff called police at 2.30 a.m. local time (1730 GMT Monday) with reports of a man armed with a knife on the grounds of the Tsukui Yamayuri-En facility. The 3-hectare (7.6 acres) facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, NHK said, quoting an unidentified employee.  Media reports said the man, wearing a black T-shirt, did not have a knife when he turned himself in at a nearby police station. Police said they were still investigating...

BY JEDIAEL CARTER Staff reporter carterj@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, July 24, 2016 A 17-year-old boy says he has not slept in a week because of the painful wounds he received after he was attacked at a girls’ home. Kemar Williams of a Grant’s Pen address claims he was burnt with acid at a girls’ home in the area when he went to collect his earphones from one of his friends. He remains a patient at a Corporate Area hospital. He told the  Jamaica Observer  that about nine o’clock last Sunday night he went to the home, where his sister once lived, when the women who supervise the girls attacked him. “When me go over deh dem (the women) come out an dem start fling bare stone an say weh me a do yah, an me say ‘a mi earphone me come fah’. One a dem did have a ‘las’ (machete) in dem hand, one a dem have di something weh dem use an burn me up. Me neva see weh she have in har hand an she throw it pan me an it burn me up,” the 17-year-old recounted. When asked why he went...

Friday, July 22, 2016 - Excerpt from Huffingtonpost   By  ANNIE KARNI Hillary Clinton’s veepstakes is ending the way it began: with the humble-but-sturdy Tim Kaine sitting at the top of her list. After an extensive, months-long process during which the campaign considered a host of different options -- even vetting a serious candidate from outside the political arena -- the squeaky-clean Virginia senator, whose biggest liability to emerge was that he was boring, is emerging as Clinton's top choice. But the formal announcement of her running mate -- which was expected to come in a text message to supporters Friday -- was clouded by reports that one or more shooters attacked the largest shopping mall in Munich, Germany, killing at least six people and wounding others. Tim Kaine & Hillary Clinton “Monitoring the horrific situation in Munich,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee tweeted Friday, stamping her post with “-H.” “We stand with our friends in G...

07/20/2016 09:57 pm 21:57:19 CLEVELAND ― Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) saw his big moment at the  Republican National Convention  drowned out by thunderous boos on Wednesday night as he notably declined to endorse his former foe  Donald Trump  for president.  Ted Cruz The speech had started with a diametrically different tone. Cruz came out to a hero’s welcome, and earned sustained applause as he laid out a conservative case for governance. “We deserve an immigration system that puts America first. And yes, builds a wall to keep us safe,” said the senator, in a nod to the now formal Republican presidential nominee.  But the crowd, led by the New York delegation, grew notably restless as the speech went on and Cruz refused to mention Trump’s name. Cruz acknowledged them ― “I appreciate the enthusiasm of the New York delegation” ― but kept soldiering on, a slight smirk on his face.  The restlessness turned to outright jeers when Cruz ...

BY JEDIAEL CARTER Staff reporter carterj@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, July 17, 2016  “No God, me nuh want dead like this,” is what 19-year-old Shane Harris remembered thinking while in the cold Rio Cobre early yesterday morning. Harris was with seven other church members when the vehicle in which they travelled plunged into the infamous river as they travelled to Bog Walk in St Catherine. “My side was stuck to the wall,” Harris told the  Jamaica Observer . “When the vehicle fell, my side first hit the rock an a so comes me hit me head and it flip and my part stuck right at the concrete. Me a try swim round an a try find me way out but God work inna mysterious ways.” He said something supernatural happened. “Me neva have no way fi escape so me did a say everybody come out lef me. So me a try fight my way fi come out now an me see a white bright light, bright, bright light, me nah talk bout nuh regular car light or flashlight, an di light come an one white han stre...

July 14, 2016 A truck crashed into a crowd of Bastille Day celebrants in the French city of Nice Thursday night, causing dozens of casualties in what a local official characterized as “an attack,” according to  media and eyewitnesses . A local official told France’s BFM TV that as many as 30 people may have been killed and 100 injured. The truck driver was shot dead, Sebastien Humbert, the subprefect in Nice, said in comments reported by Reuters. Sylvie Toffin, local prefecture spokesman, told The Associated Press that officials believe the crash was deliberate. “ It was an attack ,” she said, without elaborating. “There was carnage on the road,” Nice resident Wassim Bouhlel told AP. “Bodies everywhere.” A reporter from Agence France Presse  saw a white van  driving at high speed, hitting pedestrians and sending debris into the air. French President Francois Hollande  headed back to Paris  for a crisis meeting after the crash.  Police urged ...

July 14, 2016...Excerpt from Roll Call Donald Trump is planning to announce that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is his choice for his vice presidential running mate, according to a Republican with direct knowledge of the decision.   As Trump narrowed in on his choice of Pence, the two men spent time at both Trump's golf resort in New Jersey in early July and at the Indiana governor's mansion this week.   [   Trump and the Ultimate Outsider-Turned-Insider   ]   Mike Pence In addition to testing the men's chemistry together, Trump was reportedly impressed with Pence's calm demeanor, his experience on Capitol Hill and as a governor, and Pence's potential to assist Trump in governing, should the ticket win in November.   The announcement will be made publicly at an event at Trump Tower at 11 a.m. Friday morning.   In addition to Pence, Trump has considered former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Army Gen. Mich...

BY RENAE DIXON Observer staff reporter dixonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, July 11, 2016      Residents   of Orange Hill in Brown’s Town, St Ann, are calling for the heads of those responsible for the slaying of three-year-old Nevalesia Campbell, whose body was discovered in bushes with chop wounds about 9:30 yesterday morning.  Three-year-old Nevalesia Campbell “There is nothing that a little pickney can do to deserve this, even if the parents dem do somebody something. Good God man!” one man exclaimed. “God going bring dem to justice!” a woman added. Acting commander of the St Ann police Superintendent Gary Francis said the mother of the child reported her missing at about 2:00 am.  “She informed the police that about 10:30 pm last night she put Nevalesia and her twin brother to bed. At about 11:00 pm she woke up and gave the child water. She was watching television with her when she fell asleep. At about 1:30 am she woke up and recogni...

Sunday, July 10, 2016     JAMAICA’s Nicholas Dusard, Kenneth Edwards and Richard Stone on Friday won an inspiring three-man team gold medal, in continuous sparring, to lift the spirits of the island’s martial artists at the International Sports Karate Association’s US Open World Martial Arts Championships in Florida. (From left) Jamaica’s three-man team of Ningen Karate’s Kenneth Edwards, Kingston Taekwon-Do’s Nicholas Dusard and Richard Stone show off the their plaques for winning gold in the three-man continous-sparring team event  at the US Open. Shaking off Thursday’s disappointment of losing the tournament-opening Gold Cup to New Zealand, Jamaica came out with vengeance in the three-man team final of the open to comprehensively dismiss a United States team 3-0. “We needed that,” a satisfied captain Dusard said after the match. “We definitely redeemed ourselves. That win restored the morale of the team.” Leaving nothing to chance, Jamaica swept their Uni...

 Sunday, July 10, 2016  Jamaica Observer  The popular St Mary mechanic who is accused of having a sexual encounter with a girl aged eight, and who police said shot at them when they tried to apprehend him, has been caught by law enforcers, the Jamaica Observer can report. Police held Ian Blake, popularly known as “Signie”, in a pre-dawn operation at his home in Highgate around 4:30 Wednesday morning, ending a near three-month game of hide-and-seek involving himself and the police. He was sought by police after a relative of the primary school pupil reported to police that the victim was sexually abused by the man, said to be aged over 50, an act that left members of the Highgate community and surrounding areas in shock. The girl was treated at the Port Maria Hospital and police later released his name as a person of interest. The incident, which resulted in a complaint being filed to law enforcers, occurred in early April when the man visited the child’s house ...

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, July 10, 2016   Human   rights issues surrounding the fatal shooting of 29-year-old cookshop operator Nakiea Robert Jackson in 2014 may have been laid to rest with him on Thursday when the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court threw out the case for lack of evidence. But Jackson’s sister, Shackelia, a virtual one-woman advocacy against what she felt was his wrongful death, and who has been constantly travelling between her home in the United States and Kingston seeking justice for her brother, says she is not backing down until the decision is reversed. Jackson was killed by the police on January 20, 2014, while he was serving food at his small cookshop on Orange Street, in the Orange Villa area of downtown Kingston. His killing became a major human rights issue at the time, as members of the Orange Villa community openly displayed their anger at his death, despite apologies that he may ha...

07/07/2016 10:26 pm ET At least 11 police officers have been shot and three killed by snipers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, according to Dallas police.  Dallas Police Chief David Brown  said Thursday night  that two snipers shot “from elevated positions,” and police are searching for the suspects. Brown said four officers were dead, three were in critical condition and another two were in surgery.  Dramatic video from earlier in the evening shows dozens of officers converging on several buildings in downtown Dallas, including a parking garage. In another, several shots  can be heard ringing out as sirens blare in the background.  Rev. Jeff Hood, an organizer of the rally, told the Dallas Morning News he was at the front of the protest with an officer before he heard “what sounded like six to eight shots.” “I saw people scramble,” Hood said. “The officer ran towards the shots, I ran away from the shots trying to get people off the s...

July 5, 2016...Excerpts from HuffingtonPost WASHINGTON — FBI Director James Comey announced Tuesday that he was referring the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to prosecutors at the Department of Justice for a “prosecutorial decision.”  Hillary Clinton “There is evidence that they were extremely careless” with highly sensitive information, Comey said of Clinton and her aides. But, he added, “our judgement is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.” “No charges are appropriate in this case,” Comey said he would recommend to the DOJ. The FBI announcement came days after Clinton  met with investigators  at the bureau’s headquarters in Washington. That was seen as a signal that the federal investigation could be winding down. Attorney General Loretta Lynch — facing criticism over her  meeting with former President Bill Clinton  — said Friday she would  accept  the recommendation of career prosecut...

 Friday, July 01, 2016 | 8:53 PM     KINGSTON, Jamaica – Triple world and Olympic record holder Usain Bolt has been ruled out of the men’s 100m finals with a back injury on day two of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) National Senior Championships at the National Stadium on Friday. OBSERVER ONLINE sources have confirmed that the world’s fastest man has suffered a tight muscle injury and as a precautionary measure will not occupy his lane in the finals. Despite not competing in the event, Bolt, 29, could still secure a spot on the team to Rio provided he passes a physical test in time for the Games. Sherdon Cowan

OPPOSITION Leader Portia Simpson Miller has written to chairman of the Integrity Commission of Parliament Justice Paul Harrison asking him to release to her certified and signed copies of integrity reports which she submitted to the commission for the years 2006 to 2015. Portia Simpson “Mrs Simpson Miller has further requested that the commission indicates to her in writing the dates the reports were received and whether or not she has ever been reported for any breaches,” said a release issued yesterday by former information minister Sandrea Falconer. “Once the reports are received the Opposition leader will release the documents to the media appropriately redacted to remove sensitive details,” the short statement said. Since Prime Minister Andrew Holness released details of his personal assets to the public earlier this week there have been calls for Simpson Miller to do the same, with critics insisting that the former prime minister should show her hands as well as it was...