Jamaican football icon Allan “Skill” Cole was laid to rest recently, drawing hundreds to watch him for one final time at a funeral inside the National Arena. Like he did in life, the revered Cole, arguably Jamaica’s most talented footballer who made his senior national team debut as a 15-year-old, brought the Rastafarian, sporting and music communities together at the memorial service. The Jamaica Observer was at the Arena to witness the occasion. See some highlights in the photo gallery below....

LAS CUEVAS, Trinidad and Tobago (AFP) -- Trinidad and Tobago was in shock Thursday over the reported deaths of two local men in a US strike on a suspected drug boat, the latest of Venezuela's neighbours to become sucked into Washington's pressure campaign. "Are we in Israel or in Afghanistan? This is the Caribbean; here is peace and love," a fisherman in the Trinidadian village of Las Cuevas told AFP in a thick drawl after Tuesday's strike on a boat allegedly ferrying drugs from Venezuela. Polic...

MIAMI, United States (AFP) -- There's no rest for Jose Daniel Ferrer, a Cuban dissident who arrived in the United States this week and is determined to work with other exiles to democratically unseat the communist government in Havana. "We have to be proactive if we want to encourage Cubans to fight for their rights, for their freedom, instead of leaving the country with a 'save yourself if you can' type of mentality," the longtime activist told AFP from his new home in Miami. Ferrer is the foun...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) -- With US warships deployed off Venezuela's coast, President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday a plan to defend against what he called American threats is now complete. Washington accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel and has deployed significant military assets -- including stealth warplanes and several US Navy ships -- as part of what it says are counter-narcotics efforts in the Caribbean. Maduro, an authoritarian socialist who is widely accused of stealing elections las...

Gratitude is the secret ingredient incorporated in every pastry made by Chef Denval Daley whose journey began in a small classroom in Lionel Town, Clarendon and has taken him far beyond Jamaica to the US Midwest, where he is currently the baking and pastry instructor at Hocking College in Ohio. His journey hasn’t been easy. But through ups and downs, Daley has learnt that success "is not just about talent—it’s about resilience, mentorship, and always being ready to seize the opportunities placed...

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