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Wednesday, February 01, 2017     BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Promising Jamaican teenager Leon Bailey signed a five-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen yesterday for a reported 12 million euros (US$12.8 million). The 19-year-old forward moves to Germany from Belgian side, Genk. This picture, taken on September 15, 2016, shows  Jamaican forward Leon Bailey of Genk during the UEFA Europa League Group F football match versus Rapid Vienna in Austria. (Photo: AFP) “With Leon Bailey we have once again secured a very promising, long-term prospect,” Club Director Michael Schade said. “This young man was also the target of a number of other European sides and we are thrilled to have beaten off strong opposition for him.” Bailey, who usually plays on the left wing, joined Genk at the start of the season from Slovakian side Trencin. “At Bayer, I want to go to the next level,” Bailey said. “Leverkusen are known as a club where a player can develop. And the type of footb...

In a move that should surprise no one, President  Donald Trump  is reportedly bringing the two expected finalists for Justice Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat to Washington to create a sense of intrigue ahead of Tuesday’s primetime reveal. Neil Gorsuch Or “ to build suspense ,” as CNN’s Pamela Brown put it in her report on Tuesday. “This is all an extraordinary measure ... to keep the selection private ahead of tonight’s announcement,” Brown said of what increasingly looks like a piece of political theater. Finalists Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman ― both of whom are highly respected in conservative circles ― are either in Washington or en route for the  8 p.m. announcement , according to CNN. Trump has already said he’s  made his choice . So is the purpose of this arrangement to give the president one last sit-down with the nominee just to make sure?  Under normal circumstances, a president’s choice for the Supreme Court is shro...

In what an official said was the first military raid carried out under President Donald Trump, two Americans were killed in Yemen on Sunday — one a member of SEAL Team 6 and the other the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-born al Qaeda leader who himself was killed in a U.S. strike five years ago. 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki The raid in southern Yemen, conducted by the supersecret Joint Special Operations Command, was intended to capture valuable intelligence, specifically computer equipment, according to a senior U.S. military official. Three al Qaeda leaders were killed, according to U.S. officials. Contrary to earlier reporting, the senior military official said, the raid was Trump's first clandestine strike — not a holdover mission approved by President Barack Obama. The mission involved "boots on the ground" at an al Qaeda camp near al Bayda in south central Yemen, the official said. "Almost everything went wrong," ...

> 01/28/2017 09:09 pm ET   NEW YORK ― Late Saturday, a federal judge in Brooklyn  temporarily halted  parts of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order that aimed to block the entry of Syrian refugees and impose a de facto ban on travelers coming from several Muslim-majority countries. The American Civil Liberties Union, immigrants’ rights groups and refugee relief organizations  had filed the action  in federal court Saturday morning on behalf of two Iraqi nationals who were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, asking for a declaration that the order is unconstitutional and requesting an injunction to prevent its implementation against other travelers who may be equally harmed. “The petitioners have a strong likelihood of success in establishing that the removal of the petitioners and others similarly situated violates the rights to Due Process and Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution,...

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Muslims and refugees led to chaos in the hours after he signed it, as refugees and immigrants arrived at U.S. airports only to be detained or told they couldn’t enter the country and businesses had to scramble to adjust to the new policy. “We are hearing that last night a lot of people were turned away,” said Abed Ayoub, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. “It’s had a direct impact on a lot of people.” The order, which Trump  signed Friday afternoon , bans Syrian refugee resettlement in the U.S. indefinitely, shuts down the entire refugee program for 120 days and bars all immigrants and visitors from  seven Muslim-majority countries  from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days. Coming in the late hours of Friday, and with little apparent consultation with other agencies and groups prior to its publication, the order created havoc and confusion among those tasked with ...

BY RACQUEL PORTER Observer staff reporter porterr@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, January 27, 2017  THE Kingston Central police are appealing to the public for information to assist in their investigations into the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Roshane Smith. Police said they were yesterday summoned to Eve Lane in Central Kingston where the body of 13-year-old Smith was found with his hands bound and what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his head. Deputy Superintendent of Police Percival Anderson told the  Jamaica Observer  yesterday that the police had not yet established a motive for his killing. ”It is not one of those cases where you can associate him to a particular gang because he was only 13 years old. I understand that he was a troubled teen but no criminal involvement that we could say, yes, this is the reason,” Anderson explained. Anderson said that Smith was last seen at his home by his parents while getting ready for school on Wednesday morning. ...

BY KIMONE FRANCIS Observer staff reporter francisk@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, January 18, 2017 A session organised to motivate members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) yesterday received crime-fighting instructions from two of the most unlikely individuals that one would expect to see addressing cops — dancehall deejays Bounty Killer and Ninjaman. But Bounty Killer, whose given name is Rodney Pryce, and Ninjaman, real name Desmond Ballentine, who have both had run-ins with the law, received loud and sustained applause from police packed inside Conference Room 2 for what was termed a ‘Blast off’ at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. Pryce declared that fighting crime is everybody’s business and not just the business of those with direct responsibility. Bounty, Ninja “The mother and the parent of crime is poverty. And until the Government starts to battle poverty the right way we are always going to be locking up criminals,” he said. “Takin...

  BY MARK CUMMINGS Editor-at-Large WESTERN BUREAU cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, January 16, 2017   GOODWILL, St James — Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Clifford Blake yesterday described the joint police/military operation in the Goodwill community of St James on Saturday night, in which six alleged members of the Ski Mask Gang were killed, as “a brave and courageous effort” by the lawmen. Police said four guns and a quantity of ammunition were seized following the deadly shoot-out. Soldiers and Police on da spot “We are yet to get all the details of the operation, but from all indications it was a brave and courageous effort by members of the security forces in the face of danger,” said DCP Blake during a tour of a section of the community, which was the scene of an alleged firefight between the lawmen and members of the gang. “It is really a commendable effort. They [police] came under severe threat and they responded to defend themselves. To...

 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10:07 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017  AJC Homepage New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s senior pastor Eddie L. Long has died, according to the church.  The statement released this morning:  New Birth Missionary Baptist Church celebrates the life and legacy of Bishop Eddie L. Long who is now spiritually healed and home with the Lord. Bishop Long, Senior Pastor of New Birth, transitioned from this life early Sunday morning after a gallant private fight with an aggressive form of cancer. As a man of God with unyielding faith, Bishop Long maintained his commitment to our Heavenly Father as he proclaimed that cancer would not kill his faith nor his spirit. First Lady Elder Vanessa Long, Bishop Long’s wife of 27 years offered the following. “I am confidant through my belief in God that my husband is now resting in a better place. Although, his transition leaves a void for those of us who loved him dearly, we can celebrate and be h...

  BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter  Thursday, January 12, 2017 The peace and tranquility of this Hanover farming community were shattered after unknown gun-toting assassins snuffed out the lives of two well-loved community members Saturday night. The dead men have been identified as 63-year-old shopkeeper, Vernon Hall, also called ‘Chinno Man’ and 55- year-old cabinetmaker Patrick Robinson, both of Mount Peace in the parish. VERNON HALL … one of the two men killed in  the Mount Peace community on Saturday night. The Hanover police were summoned to the rustic community at about 8:30 pm Saturday after a barrage of gunshots disturbed the quiet of the night. Upon the arrival of the police, the blood-soaked, bullet-riddled bodies of the two members of the closely-knit community were discovered a short distance apart. Both men were believed to have been sitting on a bamboo bench, close to Hall’s shop, when the armed hoodlums pounced. When the Jamaica Obse...

Excerpt form Yahoo.com News 1/11/17 A retired Marine killed her young daughter and then herself Monday night in Florida in an apparent murder-suicide hours before the girl was scheduled to fly home to her father, police tell PEOPLE. Ericka Joseph, 46, was found dead with her 9-year-old daughter, Akili Joseph, in Joseph’s home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday morning, a police spokeswoman says. According to authorities, Joseph was divorced from Akili’s father, and though they shared custody of the child, Akili spent the majority of her time with her dad in Bogota, Colombia. She was visiting Florida for the holidays, police said. She was scheduled Tuesday morning to fly back to South America with her father, also a retired Marine. 9-year-old daughter, Akili Joseph He was on his way to pick up his daughter before he learned she was dead,  the  Sun Sentinel  reports . “He was here to pick up,” Joseph’s brother, Tony Williams, told the paper...

Tuesday, January 10, 2017   Amidst the chills of the winter season in the United States were rays of sunshine as Jamaica’s Junior Development Gymnastics team were on fire at the United Winterfest Championships in Maryland over the weekend. The Jamaica level three representatives Kailey Ho (left), Telissa Robinson (centre) and Kimoya Banks (right) relaxing  with coach Nadine Whyte before competition. The Jamaican team, competing at the three-day championships for the first time, produced a number of creditable all-around performances, chief among them was Danielle James’ top-class performance in level eight. The efforts of the 16- member team left president of the Jamaica Amateur Gymnastics Association (JAGA) Nicole Grant beaming with pride. Grant, who was on hand to witness the spectacle, pointed out that the competition provided the opportunity for gymnasts to get up close and personal and learn a thing or two from the judges after the meet. “These judges are w...

January 10, 2017...Excerpt from JamaicaObserver The rape and carnal abuse case involving Moravian clergyman Rev Rupert Clarke has taken on an alarming new twist, including claims by the family of the girl he is accused of abusing that they were being harassed by people in their community to keep silent. Checks by the  Jamaica Observer  with several members of the police in St Elizabeth revealed that, while they have heard of rumours of intimidation against the family, no actual reports had been made to the authorities on this particular matter. Rev Rupert Clarke & Hampton's Principal  Heather Murray “Yes, we have heard about these rumours of intimidation against the family of the girl in the mentioned case. In fact, we have heard of many other allegations in the case in question. We have investigated and are still investigating all these claims, but to date no one is willing to give a statement to us,” one policeman told the  Observer  last even...

NEWS-BREAK: Gunman Opens Fire At Ft. Lauderdale Airport, ‘Multiple People’ Dead.....A lone shooter opened fire on Friday afternoon in Ft. Lauderdale airport, killing multiple people, according to a tweet from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. A suspect is in custody, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN

Thursday, January 05, 2017 | 9:24 PM     KINGSTON, Jamaica – Heather Murray, principal of the Hampton School in St Elizabeth, on Thursday sought to set the record straight about her presence at the bail hearing of Reverend Rupert Clarke, the Manchester-based pastor who was recently charged with rape and having sexual knowledge of a person under 16. In a statement, the principal said she was at the bail hearing to provide moral support to the pastor’s wife, who she described as her friend. Heather Murray (File photo) Clarke, a longstanding minister of the Moravian Church, was on Wednesday offered bail in the sum of J$800,000 when he appeared in the St Elizabeth Parish Court. “His wife has been my very good friend since we both attended Hampton School in the 1960s/70's. We are both long time educators who have been serving together for many years on several boards, committees and commissions,” Murray said. “We are both Justices of the Peace. “Such is the closeness...

Billionaire Robert Smith will sponsor the education  of 21 girls who were freed from Boko Haram’s captivity. Getty Images   01/04/2017 02:35 pm ET Nearly two dozen Chibok, Nigeria schoolgirls who were released from Boko Haram’s captivity will have the opportunity to get an education courtesy of black American billionaire Robert Smith. Smith, who founded a private equity firm, is offering scholarships to 24 Nigerian girls, 21 of which were abducted by the terrorist group two years ago. The Nigerian government negotiated with the terrorist group  to release 21 Chibok girls in October 2016. Reuters Photo According to Nigerian publication  Leadership , senior assistant to the president on media and publicity Mallam Garba Shehu said that the girls, who are being treated as adopted children of the federal government, will be admitted through negotiation at the  American University of Nigeria, Yola , a top school in the country. Shehu added tha...

BY TANESHA MUNDLE Observer staff reporter mundlet@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, January 05, 2017 National Security Minister Robert Montague is promising that the country will see fundamental changes in the Government’s fight against crime during the course of 2017. Montague, who was speaking at the annual devotion service of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on Tuesday, also listed a number of measures to boost the capabilities of the JCF. Minister of National Security Robert Montague with  Deputy Commissioner Novelette Grant at the annual devotion service of the police force on Tuesday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington) “It won’t be business as usual, it will be business unusual. Yes, 2016 had its challenges, but I am happier and excited about 2017,” he said. “This is the year... when changes are going to come. It is the year when we are going to confront some things, talk some truths and make some people uncomfortable. We are going to disrupt some criminal forces. ...

BY ANTHONY LEWIS Observer West writer  Thursday, January 05, 2017     SANDY BAY, Hanover  —  Tedford  Grizzle, one of three men slain in Hanover since the start of the year, had just greeted those with whom he came in contact with “Happy New Year” salutations shortly before he was fatally shot. “They say he was walking and shaking everybody hand and telling them Happy New Year, ‘Happy New Year’. And then, after that, him leave [the nightclub] and go home,” Jermaine Smith, Grizzle’s sister, told the A distraught Jermaine Smith, sister of Tedford Grizzle  who was gunned down on New Year’s Day, stares at the  photograph of one of her brother’s identification cards. Jamaica Observer Wes t during a visit to the Mount Pelier community in Sandy Bay on Tuesday. Grizzle, a 39-year-old construction worker of New Town in Sandy Bay, is one of two people killed in the parist hours apart on New Year’s Day. The other is 39-year-old taxi-operator ...

Wednesday, January 04, 2017 | 7:48 PM      KINGSTON, Jamaica — New York Times has designated Kingston as one of the top 52 Best Places to Go in 2017, much to the delight of tourism partners and stakeholders. New York Times, one of the leading newspapers in the United States, made the announcement today, listing Jamaica’s capital at number 24. Bob Marley Museum The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) described the designation as an “enviable” one, saying in a news release Wednesday that it comes on the heels of the first anniversary of Kingston being named a UNESCO Creative City of Music. Peter Tosh In highlighting the attributes of Kingston, the New York Times article cited the city’s cultural offerings such as the One World Rocksteady Music Festival, the newly opened Peter Tosh Museum and the dub club music parties. The article also named local spots Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records and Chateau 7 Gourmet Jerk Centre as must-go places to eat, while Courtyard b...

 BY RENAE DIXON Observer staff reporter dixonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, January 04, 2017   OCHO RIOS, St Ann — The cruel irony of 82-year-old Justice of the Peace (JP) Colin Corrodus’s violent death has shocked people in St Ann and created a climate of fear in the parish.  “Business people call me, JPs call me [and say] that they are afraid of what is happening because it could be anybody. Everybody is just frightened with what is taking place,” president of the St Ann Justices of the Peace Association Pixley Irons told the Jamaica Observer yesterday. Corrodus was reportedly shot in his upper body after four armed men invaded his home in Epworth, St Ann as he played dominoes with friends about 8:45 pm Monday. Police report that the men demanded his firearm. He resisted and was shot. Yesterday, the Observer learnt that his wife, who was also at the house during the invasion, was gun-butted. The blow left her unconscious. The other people were unhar...