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The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority has said effective immediately, the Boeing 737-8 Max and 737-9 Max aircraft will be temporarily restricted in Jamaica. The directive follows a similar restriction from the United States following Sunday's deadly plane crash in Ethiopia. The crash in Addis Ababa killed 157 people. It was the second fatal Max 8 disaster in five months after one crashed over Indonesia in October, killing 189 people. The FAA said new evidence from the crash site in Ethiopia, together with newly refined satellite data which became available on Wednesday, led to the decision to ground the planes.

Dance hall artist Stonebwoy has been crowned the Reggae Dance hall artist of the year at the ongoing Vodafone Ghana music awards 2019. Stonebwoy was in the competition with Samini, Shatta Wale, Epixode and Ak Songtress. Looking at how well Stonebwoy has performed The Reggae Dancehall artist of the year is Stonebwoy’s first award so far at the awards night. His rival, Shatta Wale has already won two awards; Highlife song of the year and Reggae Dance hall song of the year.

The band One World Rebellion, owned by Soca Star Fay Ann Lyons, said it has halted its entry into Jamaica's Carnival this year. In a statement issued on Friday, the band said: "the decision is due to conflicting reports from the Jamaican organizers versus those from sponsors pertaining to receipt of funds over the last few months which requires further investigation for clarity." The band said the investigations have halted production and with Carnival fast approaching they are unable to deliver the type of quality product it knows it can deliver in a timely fashion. "All avenues to produce a good impact on the experience delivered to our supporters and sponsors this year have been explored. However, it has become prudent to postpone...

About 49 people were killed and dozens more were injured when at least one shooter opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Police confirm there are 49 people dead in the attack, 41 people were killed in the Deans Ave mosque, with seven killed at the Linwood mosque. Another person died in hospital. A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court tomorrow morning. Another person was arrested earlier today however that was not related to these events. The number of those being treated in hospital has been updated to 48 people.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson has said senior executives of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL), the second-largest cruise company in the world, have advised that they are in need of more Jamaican workers. Robinson was part of a delegation, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, which hosted a high-level team from RCCL in Kingston last week. “In the meeting with the RCCL folks, there was a huge push for the development of Port Royal for cruise tourism. We also looked at the continued development of Falmouth as a preferred cruise destination and, of course, opportunities for our local business people, including our craft traders,” she noted. Senior adviser/strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano...

Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica has welcomed one million visitors to its shores in the first nine weeks of 2019. He said this has provided foreign exchange earnings of approximately US$800 million. “The industry is now at the peak of its growth, and the beauty about us in tourism is that we make new peaks… because we are in a constant state of growth and evolution. This peak has allowed Jamaica to be the first Caribbean destination in nine weeks to welcome one million visitors,” Minister Bartlett said. Mr. Bartlett said with the continued growth in the tourism industry, the Ministry is taking steps to further develop Jamaica’s Gastronomy Network, to ensure that “ordinary Jamaicans” benefit significantly from the...

Shaggy and British artist Sting have won the prestigious Grammy award for Best Reggae Album at The Grammy's premiere ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles over the weekend. The two were awarded for their collaborative album 44/876. The other nominees in the category were: Reggae Forever – Etana A Matter of Time - Protoje As the World Turns -- Black Uhuru Rebellion Rises -- Ziggy Marley Shaggy previously won the Grammy in 1996 for the Boombastic album.

To say 2018 was fruitful for Etana would be an understatement. The singer released her fifth album, Reggae Forever, toured relentlessly and capped the year with a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album. According to Etana, "It's been a year filled with hard work, determination and triumph." Reggae Forever was released in March by Tad's International Record. It went number one on the Billboard Reggae Album Chart and coincided with her extensive tour of the United States with J Boog and Jesse Royal. Her show, which launched the album in South Florida in July, was particularly successful. It drew a strong crowd of faithful fans to Krave Restaurant and Lounge in Fort Lauderdale, who witnessed a powerful 90-minute performance...

Dance hall artist Kalado had a brief encounter with the law Sunday over what police officers thought were three high-powered rifles found in his possession. It was reported that the police apprehended the entertainer, whose given name is Eton Gordon, in Lakes Pen, Spanish Town in St Catherine as he was making his way to Portmore. He was taken into custody, however, upon closer inspection, it was found that the weapons were fake. Kalado was on his way to a video shoot at the time. The artist was subsequently released.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 3 releases on February 9th, this album aims straight for the heart; presenting 30 top hits from reggae’s brightest stars, singing about love. Specially prepared for Valentine’s Day (and everyday), this collection showcases old and new favorites including the latest hit from rising UK vocalist Gappy Ranks titled ‘The Rain’. For collectors of all ages, this disc gets better with each listen! TRACK LISTING DISC 1 1. Good Thing Going – Sugar Minot 2. The Rain – Gappy Ranks 3. In Your Eyes – Sanchez 4. She’s Royal – Tarrus Riley 5. Beautiful Lady – Gyptian 6. Substitute Lover – Half Pint 7. Tempted To Touch – Beres Hammond 8. Blessing – Etana featuring Alborosie 9. Love Me More – Ziggy 10. Drowning...

ReggaeMe - VP Records is proud to announce the release of Volcano Eruption. Henry “Junjo” Lawes’ was one of the most influential producers of the early Dancehall era. This album features hits from Singers and Deejays that shaped Reggae music into the multicultural genre we know today. Volcano Eruption is comprised of some of the most veritable and significant hits in Reggae Music. This 2 CD/DVD package includes 40 tracks from a variety of celebrated artists that worked with “Junjo” Lawes’ Volcano Label. On the singers side is the exceptional Barrington Levy’s “Prison Oval Rock” and “21 Girl Salute” with production by Junjo and The Roots Radics; the most sought after band of the early Dancehall period. Continuing with the...

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young has announced that the government has reached an agreement with BP and Shell that he says with bring “significant” financial benefits to Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement involves new pricing arrangements, the extension of the Atlantic LNG Train 1 by a further five years, and the ability of the National Gas Company (NGC) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) on behalf of T&T. Minister Young said the discussions started in April 2018 when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley led a delegation's to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. While there, the team, which include Minister Young and Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Franklin Khan, met with...

(Jamaica Observer) The police yesterday exhumed the partially decomposed body of a female Caucasian suspected to be that of 72-year-old US national Nancy Hardy, who has been missing since Saturday. Members of the Area One police are awaiting results of a forensic examination to positively identify the body. Hardy, who was of Amherst, Massachusetts in the United States of America and Phase 3, Whitehall in Negril, has lived in Jamaica for some 20 years. Yesterday, the body was unearthed from a shallow, makeshift grave in an isolated section of the Fish River Road community, near Orange Bay, in Hanover. It was wrapped in a blue towel, with hands and legs bound, and the mouth stuffed with a rag. The police, acting on a tip, went to the...

The Jamaican reggae music was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by a specialized commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) yesterday. UNESCO highlighted "the contribution" of this music genre to international awareness "on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity" thanks to artists such as Bob Marley, according to a statement released after the meeting in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

Jamaica, where the sound of reggae first gave a voice to the oppressed and the hopeful, is now seeking a new honor for the genre. As early as Monday, UNESCO will announce a decision on the country’s application to put reggae on the world body’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Unlike UNESCO's World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the pyramids of Giza in Egypt or the Taj Mahal in India, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity documents elements and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Another, UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, includes endangered elements of a culture that are...

Nearly 15% of all women in Jamaica, ages 15 to 49, who have ever married or partnered have experienced physical or sexual violence from a male partner in the previous 12 months. This was revealed by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, as he addressed a public forum on gender-based violence on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew. He was citing statistics from the Ministry’s soon-to-be released 2017 Knowledge, Attitude, Belief and Practice (KABP) report, which covers intimate-partner violence. He said that based on the report, the most prevalent violent acts experienced by women are: being pushed or shoved 17.7%; being slapped or having something thrown at them that could inflict...

Jamaica will be at the Rugby League World Cup for the first time in their history after they beat the United States 16-10 on Saturday. The Reggae Warriors will make their inaugural bow in the World Cup thanks to Jy-Mel Coleman’s two first-half penalty goals as well as tries from Joel Farrell and Keenen Tomlinson. The Reggae Warriors then showed their defensive prowess in the second half, to keep the period scoreless and become the 11th country to qualify for the 2021 showpiece. The victory also meant the Warriors claimed the 2018 Americas Championship.

NEW YORK, NY (Impulse Nation)–Internationally acclaimed reggae dancehall music influencer, King Addies, is rolling out the big guns with the exclusive release of “King Addies: 35 Gun Salute” (#35GunSalute) on Billboard.com—the second musical release of their official yearlong 35th Anniversary celebration. An extraordinary follow up to their May 2018 release of “The Killa Collection” (over 100 sound clash tapes totaling 240+ hours of epic golden-era audio), #35GunSalute is a special compilation mix of thirty-five iconic King Addies dubplate (custom recordings) anthems, for the listening experience of their thriving global fan base. As far as dubplate recordings go, King Addies’ musical library is respected tremendously by their peers...

Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga has made public his distaste for modern dance hall music, which he describes as lacking in substance. Seaga stated "I am a man that when I think music, I think melody. I think lyrics. I think rhythm, but I see them all together, packaged in one thing, and my basic concept is that if you can't whistle it, it is not music," he declared during the recent official reopening of Things Jamaican at Devon House, St Andrew. Seaga, who is credited with producing Many, Oh (Higgs and Wilson) in 1960, the first Jamaican hit record pressed on vinyl for commercial production, used the occasion to remind the audience of his formula for success, which has stood the test of time. The former prime minister pointed out...