Police shootings prompt outrage in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Security personnel armed with M16s and machine guns manned roadblocks and detained dozens of young men Thursday as part of a crackdown in a Jamaican ghetto where a 13-year-old girl, two elderly men and three others…
Soldier deaths affect Prince Harry’s Jamaica plans
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — The lighthearted tone of Prince Harry’s Caribbean tour changed Wednesday as the British royal modified his schedule at a military camp in Jamaica out of respect for six British soldiers reported killed in Afghanistan. Harry, a…
Jamaica’s famed coffee industry facing hard times
BRANDON HILL, Jamaica (AP) — A few years ago in this mist-shrouded mountain town, steep slopes were quilted with some of the world’s most valuable coffee trees. Farmers scrambled to increase acreage and pickers painstakingly filled wooden boxes with ripened…
Jamaica PM seeks to cut ties with Queen soon
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica’s prime minister said Thursday that she wants her Caribbean country to sever ties with the British monarchy soon so it can turn the page on its colonial past and focus on development. Portia Simpson…
Son of Skatalites member killed in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Relatives say the 32-year-old son of a founding member of the pioneering Jamaican ska and reggae band The Skatalites was fatally shot about an hour after accepting a music award for his ill father. Ruth Brevett…
Jamaica gang feuds driving rise in murder rate
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica is developing a new policy to battle crime as gang violence drives the homicide rate higher, the country’s top security official said Tuesday. National Security Minister Peter Bunting said 165 killings have been reported by…
Radio ‘godfather’
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Wilmot Perkins, a veteran Jamaican journalist considered the island’s “godfather of talk radio,” has died. He was 80. Perkins died Friday at his home after a brief illness, according to statements from his former employers. The…
Jamaicans must adopt culture of tolerance and healing
Jamaican Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding says it is important for Jamaicans to adopt a culture of tolerance and healing, as the country celebrates its 50th year of Independence from Colonial rule. He explained that part of…
Dump fire
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Acrid smoke from a fire at a sprawling trash dump blanketed swaths of Jamaica’s capital Thursday, and officials warned people to stay indoors to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous pollutants. Jamaica’s emergency management office said it…
Jamaica government destroys 2,000 guns in furnace
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Roughly 2,000 firearms were melted down in a blazing furnace Tuesday as part of an effort designed to combat gun trafficking and corruption in Jamaica while reducing violent crime. Police, government and U.N. officials destroyed pistols…
