Blogs

Since President Barack Obama announced in December 2014 that the United States plans to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba, avid travelers have been preparing to visit the small Caribbean nation. But it's not as easy as you might think.

Cu

BY DESMOND ALLEN Executive editor - special assignment allend@jamaicaobserver.com

THE Lisa Hanna story, only now for the first time to flow from this uncertain pen, does not promise to be easy to script or to unravel for the casual onlooker. The mis

Rapper replaces Rick Ross on the show

CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

After losing Rick Ross from the Reggae Sumfest line-up last week, the promoters of the event say they are pleased to have rapper T.I. as the last-minute replacement.

Yesterday, Su

LONDON, England, Friday July 10, 2015 – Demand for regional real estate has doubled during the first six months of 2015, compared to the same period last year, according to Caribbean independent luxury property specialist 7th Heaven Properties.

Ana

HAVANA, Cuba — Picture of the US interests section in Havana, taken on Wednesday. (PHOTO: AFP)

The agreement between Cuba and the United States to reopen or establish embassies in their respective capitals concretises the resumption of diplomatic r

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday July 6, 2015 – Jamaica has its first world heritage site. The country’s renowned Blue and John Crow Mountains was inscribed to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

During its 39th session taking place in Bonn, Germa

PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten, Friday July 3, 2015 – Relatively little effort has been spent on turning the most tourism dependent region in the world into the most tourism competent, according to a white paper recently issued by the Caribbean Hotel and T

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Friday July 3, 2015 – Outgoing CARICOM chairman, Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, urged his colleague leaders to pay more attention to the educating and employing young people.

He also made a call for more emphasis to be

For most Americans, Cuba is an isolated third-world island country with a backward economy and a regrettable political and human rights record. After 56 years of the Castro regime, this reputation has been well-earned, but there was a time when Cuba

Arley Gill

GEORGE’S, Grenada, Friday June 26, 2015 – Kirani James continues to do us so proud! Moreover, I am pleased that the authorities – at every turn – do not allow his performances to go unnoticed. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, in his la

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CNS) -- The premier of the Cayman Islands has said that until the editor of the British territory’s only daily newspaper apologizes, not just for an editorial insulting the whole country but for his histrionics after the

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday June 22, 2015 – It’s official. After being promised it would happen almost two years ago, Jamaicans can now change landline and mobile phone providers and hold on to their telephone numbers.

Local Number Portability (LNP)

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Wednesday June 17, 2015 – Member states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are planning to take their integration a step further with the introduction of a swipe card that will ensure hassle-free travel betwe

It's all systems go for this year's staging of Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW).

The runway show commence tonight at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew and Kingsley Cooper, chief executive officer of Pulse, organisers of the event, notes th

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Usain Bolt says he is not yet ready for a duel with Justin Gatlin but is looking forward to silencing the confident American in a Beijing sprint "explosion" at the world championships in August.

While the Jamaica

Adrian McDonald is a wedding photographer by trade who is used to capturing important moments in a couple's life. Recently, however, he's gotten new-found fame for his beautifully innocent photos of his neighborhood children. While in one photo a yo

CEO of Sandals Resort International Adam Stewart (centre) is presented with the Hotelier of the Year Award by Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill (second right) at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Annual General

NEW YORK, United States, Friday June 5, 2015 – Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) chairman Richard Sealy says the Caribbean has “bolted out of the gates” with a six per cent increase in visitor arrivals in the first quarter of the year, and predict

WITH just over a month to go before this year's staging of Reggae Sumfest, the organisers have named their first headliner in the American rapper Common.

The artiste is riding a crest at this time following his Academy Award win for the song Glory,