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Nicole was a small tropical storm for just six hours on Wednesday, but the ragged storm system poured heavy rain onto Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, south Florida and the Bahamas. The death toll from Tropical Storm Nicole in Jamaica has risen to twelve following flash floods and mudslides triggered by the storm, officials say. At least eight others are missing, swept away by floodwaters. Source: Reuters

Wyclef Jean was hospitalized over the weekend due to symptoms of stress and fatigue, Jean’s rep said in a press release. The musician has since been released, and his rep added that Jean “will be fine – just needs the space to recover.”

Bishop Eddie Long is facing allegations that he sexually abused four men who received his mentorship as a "spiritual daddy." Three of the men were older than 18, but one said he was 17 at the time of the alleged abuse. They allege that Long encouraged them to join the church's elite youth group, so he could groom them for sex; in exchange, they allege, Long gave them money, new cars, housing and took them on exotic trips. On Sunday, Bishop Eddie Long vowed to fight the accusations, by stating

Jurors in the Buju Banton federal drug trial are having trouble reaching a verdict. After about an hour of discussion on what has been their third day of deliberation, jurors sent a note to U.S. District Judge James Moody telling him about their difficulties. The note said, The case went to the jury Thursday after closing arguments in a four-day trial. Jurors were allowed to go home for the weekend. Judge Moody declares mistrial in Banton drug case.. The case is expected to be retried sometime in early December

Rodney "Bounty Killer" Pryce was granted bail this morning when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's court. Bounty Killer was granted bail for $500,000. Bounty Killer was charged for assault and unlawful wounding of his girlfriend Raquel Smith. Two weeks ago smith complained that Bounty beat her with a hammer, a mosquito repellant and a chain. Police reported that she was badly bruised and bloodied when she lodged the complaint at the police station. Smith indicated to the court that she wanted the charges to be drop and the case to be sent to mediation because she wanted to continue her relationship with Bounty Killer. Smith and Pryce had supposedly been together for three years. The Judge Sr Magistrate...

(Reuters) - Nearly one in five gay and bisexual men in 21 major U.S. cities are infected with HIV, and nearly half of them do not know it, U.S. health officials said on Thursday. Young men, and especially young black men, are least likely to know if they are infected with HIV, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at the CDC studied 8,153 men who have sex with men in 21 U.S. cities. The men were taking part in the 2008 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, which looked at prevalence and awareness of the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The study found that 28 percent of gay black men infected with HIV, compared with 18 percent of Hispanic...

9.58 is Usain Bolt's story so far, in his own words, beautifully illustrated with dozens of specially commissioned photographs. It's about a skinny kid from the parish of Trelawny, where they harvest the best yams in the world. It's about growing up playing cricket and football in the warm Jamaican sun, then discovering that he could run fast, very fast. It's about family, friends and the laid-back Jamaican culture. It's about Auntie Lillian's pork and dumplings and Dad's grocery store in the sleepy village of Sherwood Content. It's about what makes him tick, where he gets his motivation and where he takes his inspiration. It's about the highs and the lows, the dedication and sacrifices required to get to the top. It's about fast...

Jamaican born David Smith accused of scamming thousands of investors in the Caribbean and Florida has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison in the Turks and Caicos Islands. David Smith, who allegedly ran a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme though an investment group called Olint, was sentenced after pleading guilty Thursday Sept. 23 2010 to two counts of money laundering and two counts of conspiracy to defraud. David Smith moved to this British Atlantic territory after Jamaican authorities raided his company's Kingston office in 2006 and barred it from operating in the country. He was arrested in the Turks and Caicos in 2009.

The world bank is providing $2.5 million to support private sector energy efficiency efforts in Jamaica. The funds from its World Energy Security and Efficiency Project will support a pilot energy efficiency financing mechanism that will give the private sector access to renewable and energy efficient equipment. If the pilot scheme is successful, additional resources could be made available, said Jamaican Minister of Energy and Mining, James Robertson. Robertson also announced that the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has earmarked $700 million from the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Agricultural Support Fund as credit for energy efficiency and conservation measures, along with $500 million for SMEs.

(AP) Buju Banton was an established drug trafficker before the singer allegedly tried to buy cocaine from an undercover officer in Florida last year, attorneys for the U.S. government said Monday at the beginning of Banton's drug trial. "Do you have any contacts where I can get cocaine?" Banton asked a government informant named Alexander Johnson in a recorded conversation, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Preston told a jury in Tampa federal court. The singer was looking for "more, new and different money through a new conspiracy he was shopping for" in addition to drug deals he already had funded, Preston said. Banton, 37, whose real name is Mark Myrie, has been held without bail since his arrest in December on charges of...

It's alleged that Rodney ‘Bounty Killer’ Pryce got into an altercation with a woman at his house in Oaklands Apartments and physically abused her with a hammer. After the alleged incident, the woman went to the Constant Spring Police Station and made a report that Bounty Killer beat her with a hammer. The police stated that bounty was arrested and charged with assault, and was denied bail. Bounty will attend court early in the week.

Buju Banton two co-defendant will plea guilty and have entered into a plea deal with United States prosecutors. Ian Thomas, 43, will plea guilty to the conspiracy charge. He has agreed to cooperate with the government and testify against Buju Banton. James Mack, 48, will plea guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilos of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, according to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court. Both charges carry up to life in federal prison. James Mack, the second co-defendant in the case against Reggae singer Buju Banton, today agreed to assist the United States Government in seeking a conviction against him...

(Reuters) – Bob Marley's family lost a lawsuit seeking the copyrights to several of the late Jamaican reggae singer's best-known recordings. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan said the UMG Recordings unit of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group is the rightful owner of copyrights to five albums that Marley had recorded between 1973 and 1977 for Island Records. The albums "Catch a Fire," "Burnin'," "Natty Dread," "Rastaman Vibrations" and "Exodus" were recorded with Marley's band The Wailers. They include some of Marley's best-known songs, including "Get Up, Stand Up," "I Shot the Sheriff," "No Woman, No Cry" and "One Love." Friday night's ruling is a defeat for Marley's widow Rita and nine children who had sought to...

Shaggy a di richest artist in Dancehall today. According to Urban Islandz, his net worth is over 20 million dollars. Him really Boom Bastic and Fantastic. Check out the top ten list below: 1. Shaggy US$22M Shaggy 2001 album “Hot Shot” sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making him one of music’s top selling artist. The mega sales propelled Shaggy to arguably become Reggae’s Richest artist of the current generation. “Hot Shot” peaked at number one on the Billboard charts in the US and UK, and was certified X6 platinum in the US alone. Despite the huge success of “Hot Shot” Shaggy never release another successful album today and he really doesn’t need to. These days Shaggy is more known for his charitable work in Jamaica...

The release date for Buju Banton’s ninth studio album Before The Dawn, set to hit stores September 13 has been pushed back.According to Gargamel Music Inc., Buju's new album will drop in North America and Japan on Tuesday, September 28. While the release date for the UK and France has been set for Monday, October 4, and will be available in the rest of Europe a few days earlier on Friday, October 1. Gargamel Music Inc., stated

Eleven Jamaican students will be going to China this academic year to pursue various higher degrees, having been awarded full scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship Program. The awardees will be studying at various universities in the areas of economics, electronics, financial engineering, biology, pedagogy tourism management and environment management. Courses run for three to four years with the first year dedicated to the study of the Chinese language. Under the full scholarship, tuition, accommodation, meals, clothing allowance, study materials and medical care are covered

The year long extradition dispute over Jamaican businessman Christopher "Dudus" Coke, accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling illegal firearms and narcotics, has caused more than a few problems for the lawyers at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Coke is adding to his U.S. legal team while he sits in a federal detention center in Manhattan. On Wednesday, Coke filed court documents terminating court-appointed solo practitioner Russell Neufeld from representing him. Coke, who already has retained New York solos Elizabeth Macedonio and the uniquely named Steve Zissou, has had trouble retaining counsel as U.S. law forbids lawyers from being paid with illicit funds. But joining Coke's legal team on Tuesday was another New York solo, Frank...

Will and Jada Pinkett's daughter Willow Smith, 9, is causing big music buzz with the leak of her new song, Whip My Hair. With a crazy beat that works on the schoolyard and the dance floor, Willow tells the ladies to snap their heads "back and forth" and whip that hair like a helicopter. Encouraged by her talented parents, Willow is embarking on a music career when many of her peers are simply worrying about third-grade homework. She made her acting debut at the age of 6, starring alongside her father in 2007's "I Am Legend." Her credits also include a role in "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" and voice-over work for the animated feature "Madagascar 2." <iframe...

Rockstar Entertainment & Music is pleased to announce the release of the “Diamond Socks” mixtape. It is being distributed via the internet and a 10,000 CD giveaway throughout the New York and New Jersey area. Diamond socks, a soon to be classic mixtape is a true blend of cultures from the underground reggae scene to underground roots of hip hop which includes hard hitting tracks performed over vibrant throwback riddims such as the Kutchie, Cuss Cuss and many more. Download Diamond Socks

Anything You Want is produced by Jerry Wonder the Haitian-born whiz behind the Fugees, Shakira and others, the track lets Mary float over a reggae beat with a little spice provided by Busta Rhymes and Gyptian. <iframe src="http://www.reggaeme.com/vbtube/includes/showmp3.php?f=http://www.reggaeme.com&fn=61863893.mp3" style="border:0px #FFFFFF none;" name="AudioIframe" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0" align=aus marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" height="35" width="400"></iframe>