Yesterday the Internet was abuzz with news that the cool ruler Gregory Isaacs had passed on. Yup so much so that Brigadier Jerry had to take to his Facebook and wrote on the wall:

GREETINGS FB FAMILY.....THERE WAS A RUMOR GOING AROUND SINCE SUNDAY MORNING THAT OUR BROTHER GREGORY ISSACS DIED IN HOSPITAL
IN LONDON WHICH WAS REALLY STRESSFUL FOR ME. INSTEAD OF POSTING THAT NEWS TO YOU, I INSTEAD POSTED SOME OF HIS VIDEOS TO EASE THE TENSION I HAD. I DIDN'T FEEL THAT NEGATIVE VIBES BECAUSE I ALWAYS TRUST IN JAH WITH.

The Observer also carried a story with a quote from Copeland Forbes addressing the issue:

I've received e-mails from quite a lot of promoters and well-wishers from all over the world who are very concerned," he added.

"The facts are, he is in the UK doing some medical tests. As you all know, he had some problems with his legs from last year which resulted in cancellation of tours, and in the last 12 months he had a very hectic year travelling all over the globe doing performances," Forbes explained.

"We were suppose to go to Guadeloupe, French West Indies for a festival performance, but while we were in London the pain in his legs started again and it was swollen, and it caused him severe pains whenever he tried to walk on it.

The pains were so severe that we had to cancel him off the Guadeloupe festival and Marcia Griffiths was brought in to fill in for his absence," said Forbes.

"So since he was in London where he had started his medical tests from last year when the problems with his legs started, he decided that he would stay in London and get all his medical tests done... and contrary to what has been going around, he's not in a hospital, he's staying with Linda Smith, our UK representative," he added.

The Vatican said Tuesday it is "perplexed and surprised" by a money laundering probe that resulted in the seizure of $30 million from the Vatican bank and an investigation of the company's chairman.

Italian financial police made the seizure Tuesday as a precaution and prosecutors placed the chairman and another official of the Institute for Religious Works under investigation for alleged mistakes linked to violations of Italy's anti-laundering laws.

In a statement, the Vatican said it had been working for some time to make its finances more transparent to comply with anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering regulations. It expresses full trust in the head of the bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, and the director-general.

Tedeschi, a devout Catholic who has taught financial ethics at the Catholic University of Milan, is a close adviser to Treasury Minister Giulio Tremonti.

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Bruno Mars Busted for Cocaine Possession, Mug Shot Revealed

Following his arrest early Sunday morning in Las Vegas, Bruno Mars was all smiles in this newly released mug shot. More details have emerged on the Just the Way You Are singers run-in with the law.

Though it was previously revealed that he was busted for narcotics possession in the bathroom of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, TMZ has learned that the hitmaker was in possession of 2.6 grams of cocaine, discovered on his person after security guards confronted him.

Bruno was released shortly after his arrest, heading down to Texas to do radio promo. Texas is dope! Im in dallas rite now looking foward to meeting some folks @ the radio stations. tune in for a special live performance, he tweeted.

The setback comes amidst a busy promo schedule for Mars. He will release his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans on Oct. 5, followed by his tour kickoff with Maroon 5 and OneRepublic, and his SNL debut on Oct. 9.

Deejay Rodney 'Bounty Killer' Pryce, should appear in court by Wednesday, following his arrest by police on Saturday night.

Deputy Superintendent Altermoth Campbell of the Constant Spring Police Station, told THE STAR the deejay will remain in custody until his court date.

Pryce was arrested and charged with wounding after a woman turned up at the police station and reported that the deejay used a hammer to abuse her. DSP Campbell said the woman had to be given 19 stitches and her body had marks associated with being beaten.

not a fool

It is reported that the alleged incident took place at Oakland Apartments where the deejay lives.

DSP Campbell says from his experience and based on a trend, he believes some entertainers are having problems handling success. "I truly believe success is their problem," DSP Campbell said.

In speaking specifically to the allegations about the 'Warlord', Campbell said; "Bounty is not a fool, for years he has been doing good songs so he is not a fool."

Gregory Issacs

Veteran reggae singer Gregory Issacs is still alive, says his manager, after rumours of his death began circulating.

According to Issacs' manager, Copeland Forbes, the reggae singer is fine and resting from a busy year. In an email sent to THE STAR, Forbes said about the death rumours" "I've been hearing the same thing also from all over the globe and I don't know where all these information are coming from. I've received emails from West Indian Times, Sister Irie, from Richie B from Hot 102 FM in Jamaica, and from quite a lot of promoters and well-wishers from all over the world who are very concerned."

Forbes says that Issacs is currently in the United Kingdom doing some medical tests. He said: "As you all know, he had some problems with his legs from last year, which resulted in a few cancellations of tours and in the last 12 months, he had a very hectic year travelling all over the globe doing concert performances."

Issacs was nominated for a Grammy for his CD Brand New Me and also recorded one of the Disney Classics Under the Sea for the Disney World Recordssinger has been doing shows in South America and Europe and he also did the Raggamuffin festivals in California earlier this year. In the summer he did a few concerts on the US west coast, starting in Boonesville California and then back to London. compilation CD. The

Forbes added:" "We were suppose to go to Guadeloupe, French West Indies, for a festival performance. While we were in London, the pain in his legs started again and it was swollen; and it caused him severe pains whenever he tried to walk on it."

"The pains were so severe that we had to cancel him off the Guadeloupe festival, and Marcia Griffiths was brought in to fill in for his absence. So, since he was in London, where he had started his medical tests from last year when the problems with his legs started, he decided he would stay in London and get all his medical tests done. So he's been in London from early August doing all his medical tests and, contrary to what news has been going around that he's been in a hospital, he's not. He's staying with Linda Smith our UK representative in Management."

THE St Andrew North Police last night confirmed the arrest of dancehall entertainer Rodney Pryce, more popularly known as Bounty Killer.

Deputy Superintendent Altermoth Campbell, anti-crime boss at the Constant Spring Police Station, said the entertainer was picked up after a female companion turned up at the station bleeding and reported that he had assaulted her.

The incident occurred at his Oakland Apartments residence in St Andrew, police said.

"She turned up here sometime after six and said that he used a hammer to beat her up," Campbell said, adding that the woman was badly bruised and scarred when she reported the incident.

He said that Pryce has been arrested and charged with wounding, and that he is in custody. He said Pryce should go before the courts sometime this week.

In April this year, Pryce spent two weeks behind bars after being arrested by the Constant Spring police for beating up his girlfriend.

At the time, police reported that while Pryce was being processed he called the woman and threatened her life in their presence.

The complainant, Kadeem Baker, eventually dropped the charges against Pryce.

Gunman comes running from the parking lot towards the front door of this Sonic restaurant, with a rifle, firing the whole time.

His gun jams for a second, once he gets it fixed, he blasts through the glass door.

The restaurant had just closed, so most of the employees were in the back counting money. The gunman quickly finds them. Since there is no sound, you can't hear what is said, but they all run like hell.

The robber bags the money and bounces.

This happened in Greenville, South Carolina a couple of days ago. There are reports that this restaurant has been hit several times in the last few months.

If I worked there I'd be looking for a new gig, like yesterday.

Flesh-eating Hastings killer jailed for 21 years

A Broadmoor patient who confessed to killing two women in East Sussex in 1998 and eating flesh from one of them has been jailed for at least 21 years.

Graham Fisher, 37, admitted the manslaughter of Clare Letchford and Beryl O'Connor in Hastings, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He also admitted trying to murder and rape a Czech student on a train and raping a London woman in her home.

Lewes Crown Court heard he confessed because he knew he remained a danger.

The bodies of Ms Letchford, 40, and widow Ms O'Connor, 75, were found strangled and burned in their Hastings flats less than 100 yards apart in January 1998.

The top 10 living Jamaican artistes have amassed some US$90 million (J$7.7 billion) in net worth, equivalent to the annual export earnings from bauxite or sugar based on data from an online media report released last week.

These artistes, more than others, sold millions of records, toured successfully and entered into successful business ventures, according to the urbanislandz.com report. It listed the net worth of:

1. Shaggy at US$22 million ($1.8 billion)

2. Jimmy Cliff at US$18 million ($1.5 billion)

3. Sean Paul at US$11 million ($944 million)

4. Ziggy Marley at US$10 million ($858 million)

5. Sean Kingston at US$7 million ($601 million)

6. Damian Marley at US$6 million ($515 million)

7. Maxi Priest at US$4.6 million ($395 million)

8. Buju Banton at US$4 million ($343 million)

9. Beenie Man at US$3.7 million ($318 million)

10. Bounty Killer at US$3 million ($258 million)

Verification of these figures are hidden within music and tour contracts, however, Urban Islandz says it has compiled its data from sources both online and offline.

"We strive to make sure the content we published is fully accurate but we cannot always guarantee this," it stated about its list. Urban Islandz, an entertainment company, said it compiled the data to highlight "that our reggae/dancehall artistes are doing well on the global scale in the face of mounting criticisms that our music is in decline".

Shaggy topped the list due to selling over 20 million copies worldwide of his 2001 album Hot Shot, but equally due to securing a lucrative royalty deal for that album better than 90 per cent of the industry, they said.

"Shaggy managed to sign a sweet deal with UMG, named MCA Records at the time, where he earned (greatly on) each album sold for Hot Shot. Majority of artistes are lucky to earn $1 off each album sold. The Marley's on the other hand having their own company to work with, puts them at an advantage to earn more off album sales," stated urbanislandz in a written response to Splash's queries. "Regarding tour dates, again each artist's earnings vary according to their popularity and demands. Therefore, when artistes like Sean Paul or Sean Kingston would earn an average US$40,000 per tour date, other artists like Bounty and Beenie would be brushing an average US$10,000."

A respected musician and producer who toured with at least one the top five artistes told Splash that the data seemed credible. He spoke on condition of anonymity in order to respect private conversations with artistes.

"Sean Paul is conservative and I remember he even avoided buying a NY apartment calling it unnecessary. It is possible that Bounty Killer amassed that amount because he is also a conservative spender and has other businesses. Regarding Jimmy Cliff, definitely. He has been around from in the heyday of reggae and has been involved in music, songwriting and movies. He did songwriting for big artistes and also got his songs covered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen with Trapped. That would have been a big money earner," he said.

The combined worth at US$90 million is greater than the annual earnings from Jamaica's major exports including bauxite at US$85 million in 2009 (separate from the US$368 million earned from alumina exports) and sugar at US$72 million according to Bank of Jamaica statistics. It signifies the earning potential of the nation's music which has come under threat in recent years from international gay and government lobby groups. Consequently, all the top 10 artistes made the bulk of their income prior to the mid 2000s, but Urban Islandz has not discounted Reggae/Dancehall's future earning potential. They expect newcomers to factor on the list in the medium-term.

"Gyptian is one artiste to look out for as his career is doing exceptionally good and if this momentum takes him into next year and his album Hold Yuh sells well, he could become a strong contender. Mavado also is one to watch, something good should be happening for his career soon...Vybz Kartel is another to watch too, but may need a deal with a major label to put him there. Another reggae fusion artiste to watch is Iyaz from the Virgin Islands who is signed to Sean Kingston's label," Urban Islandz told Splash

BANTON... maintains his innocence and insists that he was entrapped

TAMPA, Florida AFTER a lengthy delay, the much - anticipated cocaine trial of jailed Jamaican reggae superstar Buju Banton is set to kick off in a Florida, USA, court today.

Fans of the reggae giant have been waiting anxiously for this moment, while all along expressing support for Banton (Mark Myrie), who is contending that he was set up by US officials.

Banton, too, has been anxiously awaiting this moment since his arrest last December at his Tamarac, South Florida, home, accused of conspiracy to possess more than five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute.

But the four-time grammy nominee will face an uphill battle as his two co-accused, James Mack and Ian Thomas, signed a plea bargain deal with the United States District Attorney, agreeing to testify against the dreadlocked reggae singer.

Still Banton's lawyer, David Oscar Marcus, has expressed confidence in a victory, when the matter comes up for trial in the Middle District Court in Tampa, while pouring cold water on the significance of the plea deal.

"This is a federal court and we are as confident as you can be in a federal court," Marcus told the Observer last week shortly after it became public that Mack had signed a plea deal. "Buju is innocent and we are hoping the jury will see through the Government's charade."

Mack's deal came five days after Thomas also agreed to give evidence against Banton.

Banton was taken into custody after Thomas and Mack were arrested during an alleged drug bust in an undercover operation at a warehouse in Sarasota, Florida.

All three were charged with conspiracy to possess more than five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. In addition, Mack was slapped with a count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence.

If found guilty, Banton could be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years to life in addition to a fine of up to US$4 million.

Both Mack and Thomas, in their plea deals, have agreed to give evidence to assist the US Government in building a case against Banton, in exchange for lesser sentences.

But Banton has maintained his innocence and insists that he was entrapped. Markus intends to argue that the US Government paid an informant US$35,000 to snare his client.

On Saturday, several fans expressed mixed views on his arrest, saying that he had made a wrong move but voiced support for him.

"I miss his music. I think he made a big mistake but I still support him," said Tampa resident Kenyo Rose, 34. "We are all human."

Scenes from the video shoot for Sean Kingston and Nicki Minaj's single, Letting Go (Dutty Love), which was shot in Jamaica last weekend.

The video was shot in Ocho Rios on Sunday and should feature cameo appearances from Bar-Bee, Shaggy, Ding Dong, Voicemail's Craig Jackson, Wayne Marshall, Leftside among others.

(Photos by Milton Raynor)

Just chillin'.

Sean Kingston and Bar-Bee rocking to the beat.

Grooving at the bar.

If the situation ignites, there is a possibility of severe disruptions of movement within Kingston, including blocking of access roads to the Norman Manley International Airport. The possibility exists that unrest could spread beyond the general Kingston area. U.S. Embassy Kingston is taking extra security precautions, the Department of State added.

U.S. citizens in Jamaica were advised to monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when venturing outside their residences or hotels.

The UK Ministry of Defence's "combat aircraft of the future" -- a state-of-the-art jet capable of deploying weapons and bringing back intelligence without human guidance -- made its long-awaited debut at a ceremony Monday.

Named after the Celtic god of thunder, the Taranis comes equipped with advanced stealth technology. Unlike the current generation of propeller-driven unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV), the Taranis would therefore be able to carry missiles into regions where the military does not have air dominance, the AFP reports.

Initially budgeted at 125 million pounds, the Taranis was originally scheduled to enter ground testing last year in time for military use this year. Instead, the aircraft set producers BAE Systems back an estimated 143 million pounds, and flight testing is expected to commence next year.

Taranis "is a prelude to the next generation of fighting capability," Nigel Whitehead, group managing director of programs and support at BAE, told the Financial Times. "If we are not on top of that, there will be no future for UK aircraft capability."

Though the use of UCAVs and other automation of weaponry is a growing military trend as part of a way to reduce budgets, the Taranis' debut has its share of detractors. As the Globe and Mail reports:

"Militaries are spending large amounts of money to develop robots that can locate targets and "destroy them without human intervention," says Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, raising the prospect of a scenario similar to that portrayed in the "Terminator" series of movies, in which robots are self-aware enough to start killing humans.








http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/the-taranis-photos-britai_n_644893.html

Bounty Killa Among Richiest Dancehall Artist at $225 Million

Hip Hop have their own mega stars who are raking in millions every year. The likes of Jay-z, Diddy and 50 Cent comes to mind. But Caribbean Reggae artists are making paper too. Urban Islandz readers have been asking who are the richest persons in reggae/dancehall. We have the answer to that question.

There are no doubts that if this list was for the all time richest reggae musician, the number one person would be Bob Marley. Marley, though is deceased is still richer than all the other reggae artists on the list combined. Bob is down in history as one of the richest dead celebrity. Well lets get down to business, we will start from number 1. The exchange rate is Ja$85.00 to US$1.00

1. Shaggy Net Worth US$22 Million ( Ja $ 1.870 billion)

Shaggy 2001 album Hot Shot sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making him one of musics top selling artist. The mega sales propelled Shaggy to arguably become Reggaes Richest artist of the current generation. Hot Shot spend 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 neither does he needs to. These Shaggy is more known for his charitable work in Jamaica, after he launched the Shaggy foundation, which is responsible for the annual Shaggy and Friends concert.

2. Jimmy Cliff Net Worth US$18 Million (Ja$ 1.530 billion)

Jimmy Cliff true net worth is not fully known as data we collected was limited, but from our estimate The Harder They Come star is worth in the region of US$ 18 million. Jimmy Cliff is no doubt the second most iconic personality in Reggae music to date, second only to the King himself Bob Marley. Jimmy Cliff hit movie The Harder They Come help propelled the worldwide Reggae music movement. Bob Marley may need to credit Jimmy Cliff and his Blockbuster film for some of his success in the 1970ies. In 2010 Jimmy Cliff was also one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

3. Sean Paul US$ 11 Million (Ja$ 935 million)

Sean Paul is no doubt the most internationally successful dancehall artist to date. Sean Paul 2004 album Dutty Rock sold 6 million copies worldwide, which push him into the mainstream of music. Dutty Rock won Sean Paul a grammy award and several other nominations. Sean Paul also did collaborations with mega stars such as Beyonce Knowles, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole to name a few. There is no surprise that Sean Paul is on the list of richest Reggae stars of all time.

4. Ziggy Marley Net Worth 10 Million (Ja$ 595 million)

Closing in on Sean Paul is the oldest son of the late King of Reggae Bob Marley. Ziggy Marley has always been regarding as the most successful of the Marley children. Some may speculate that the bulk of Ziggy worth comes from inheritance, but Ziggy Marley been recoding since he was a teenager. His 2006 album Love Is My Religion earned Ziggy a grammy and sold millions of copies worldwide. Ziggy is a core figure at the helm of Tuff Gong Worldwide record label which is responsible for distributing Bob Marley music worldwide.

5. Sean Kingston Net Worth US$ 7 Million (Ja$595 million)

Some may argue that Sean Kingston genre is not reggae, but to be correct it is in fact Reggae or some would say Reggae pop or R&B Reggae, whichever you want to call it its still Reggae. Kingston is a new breed of reggae artist that is propelling Reggae music into the main stream. His 2007 self titled debut album was certified gold in the US. Kingston hit single Beautiful Girl made him a mega star. The song peaked at number one of the Billboard chart. Sean Kingston is now not only an artist but also an entrepreneur. He started his own record label Time Is Money, which is responsible for another break through reggae pop singer Iyaz from the Virgin Islands.

6. Damian Marley Net Worth US$ 6 Million (Ja $510 million)

Damian Junior Gong Marley is another highly successful Marley son. Junior Gong started recording since he was 13 years old and to day earned himself three grammy awards. His song Welcome To Jamrock was named the top reggae song of the last decade by New York Times. Both albums Half Way Tree and Welcome To Jamrock was certified Gold in the US. His collaborative album Distant Relatives with rapper Nas is also gaining much traction worldwide.

7. Maxi Priest US$ 4.6 Million (Ja $391 million)

Maxi Priest is another hugely successful international Reggae singer, with some r&b influence. Priest has released some 9 albums since the mid 1980ies, most of which top charts in the UK. Although Maxi Priest was born in Jamaica his parents move him to the UK at a young age, which influence to r&b in his music.

8. Buju Banton US$ 4 Million (Ja$ 340 million)

Just in case your wondering, the answer is yes, reggae/dancehall artist Buju Banton is rotten rich. Buju once use to be the richest reggae artist alive, but Banton suffer tremendous fall out from his beef with the gay community. Despite that fallout, Gargamel is still one of the biggest selling reggae artist today.

9. Beenie Man US$ 3.7 Million (Ja$ 314.5 million)

Beenie Man is rose to stardom in the early 1990ies and has since been rocking up the charts with his catalog of hits. The Zim Zimmer deejay has acquired a solid net worth over the years and can safely join the ranks of richest reggae/dancehall artists alive.

10. Bounty Killer US$ 3 Million ( JA $225 million)

Dancehall veteran Bounty Killer is regarded as the most influential artist in dancehall music today. Killer is responsible for the careers of some of dancehall top acts currently including Mavado, Busy Signal and controversial artist Vybz Kartel. Bounty has over the years acquired a net worth of around US$ 3 million putting him in the ranks of richest reggae/dancehall artists currently.

This list is compiled from data that were available to Urban Islandz online and Offline. We strive to make sure the content we published is fully accurate but we cannot always guarantee this. Therefore, we assumed that the above content is accurate unless otherwise specified by the persons named above.

One of the big arguments that erupted in the wake of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards was who had the biggest and best performance. Was it Linkin Park's big Griffith Observatory-assisted spectacle? Or was it Kanye West's show-closing number? Perhaps it was the funky-fresh showing by Usher or the peppy delivery by Justin Bieber? Each performance had its own signature, memorable moment, but which one dominated amongst the fans?

We asked the audience on Monday (September 13) to weigh in, and we got thousands of responses in return. Now that the votes have been tallied, Eminem stands tall, as his show-opening performance of the one-two punch of "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie" (the latter of which featured a surprise appearance by Rihanna) took home the biggest percentage of the total vote. He took home 34 percent, with Taylor Swift's moving new song coming in a relatively close second place with 24 percent. In a bit of an upset, Nicki Minaj scored third place for her pre-show delivery of "Your Love" and "Check It Out" (she got 13 percent of the vote). Kanye West finished fourth with 10 percent, while Linkin Park finished behind him with four percent.

In a shocking development, the two performers with the least amount of votes were swoon-worthy teen dream Justin Bieber and hip-hop Rookie of the Year Drake. Both are usually fan favorites, but according to the fans, their performances were both blown away by Eminem.

And perhaps that's appropriate, because not only did Eminem come armed with a surprise guest, but he also got to reveal the set (which was extremely impressive) and got to show off his sharp skills as a live performer (those Home and Home shows have clearly done him well).

Veteran Singer Junior Reid said there is a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming release of his new album Junior Reid: The Living Legend.

The artiste says the album will be released in November and is being eagerly awaited by his fans.

"It's a well anticipated album. The people can't wait for this album. It consists of about eight reggae tracks and eight hip-hop and R&B tracks. The buzz is out there for the album. I don't have to do much promotion for the album. It's so long awaited, the anticipation is crazy," he told THE WEEKEND STAR.

He said it will have collaborations from artistes like Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Swiss Beat, Cassidy, Capleton and his sons Andrew and Wadda *la*hd.

"Don't be surprised if you hear Alicia Keys on there cause she owe mi one from the No One remix," Junior Reid added.

In addition to his album, the artiste says he has new songs like These Streets, State Of Emergency, Love Your Brothers and Jamaican Chocolate. And, he says the remix of I'm So Crazy with Cassidy is also doing well internationally.

Tony Matterhorn - File

"Once a warrior always a warrior", says DJ Tony Matterhorn who rejoins the clashing arena, reuniting with clash sound King Addies.

A noted clash expert and world clash champion, Tony Matterhorn is ready to get back into the war zone. The DJ recently announced his decision to rejoin foundation sound King Addies on a clash basis. Speaking with THE STAR recently, Matterhorn said: "Addies is wha mek Matterhorn who he is today. Everyone knows me from King Addies."

Known as 'the Billboard Sound' from New York, King Addies is known as one of the biggest sound-clash contenders based outside of Jamaica. Addies emerged as the leading sound out of New York in the late '80s and early '90s with the perfect combination of Babyface and Tony Matterhorn. Matterhorn joined King Addies in 1992 and left the sound to branch out on his own five years later.

Matterhorn he is ready to rejoin Addies and rejuvenate the clashing game.

He said: "A clash gwaan wha day between Addies and Black Kat in Brooklyn and Black Kat won and nuff people a run off dem mouth since den. How dem can run dem mouth off 'bout Addies? So me a tek time out of my busy schedule to join back wid Babyface and clash."

"In 1995, we created history when we came down here and kill Bass Odyssey, which was the baddest ting at the time, and shortly afta dat come for Jaro (Kilamanjaro) in an undecided match and we went on to win trophies. People a chat off dem mout now, but the two of us on Addies are unstoppable," he added.

After leaving Addies, Matterhorn went on to win numerous clashes and is known as 'Mr Fully Loaded'. In 2006, when he branched off to pursue a career as an artiste with the hit song Dutty Wine,Matterhorn took a break from sound clashes. Having been in the sound business for 22 years, Matterhorn says he has a genuine love for the music and wants to reopen the market for clashing.

There are no scheduled clashes planned as yet, but Matterhorn said they would be clashing some time in the near future.

Police personnel at the Harbour Street Police Post and the St Catherine South Division have been receiving a number of death threats.

An officer at the Harbour Street Post said: "About two officers per week receive threats ... sergeants to corporals are the most affected as they are the ones on the streets."

THE WEEKEND STAR was informed that the police officers whose lives have been threatened have been identified by name by unknown callers to the station.

Furthermore, another officer remarked, "People have stopped us and said they have gotten information what the thugs are saying and they inform us how much police dem wah kill and how them plan to ambush us at certain areas. Names have also been mentioned."

No names

He said that while they haven't got any names about who are the persons making the threats, they have an idea of the area from which they are coming.

A policewoman attached to the post said that most of the officers are known in the surrounding communities, as they have participated in community policing.

Due to the threats, the Harbour Street police say they have ensured that security measures have been increased to safeguard their personnel.

In the case of the St Catherine South police, they are now seeking the whereabouts of an alleged gang member known only as 'Cutie' in connection with death threats made against a policewoman.

Yesterday, an officer from the division told THE WEEKEND STAR that the police are now on high alert following not one, but two reported threats on the lives of personnel from the division.

The threats follow last Thursday's murder of Special Corporal Garfield Anderson who was gunned down in Westchester, Portmore in the parish.

death threats

Since then the police are alleging that earlier this week, Cutie, who they say is a reputed member of the Rat gang which is based in the community, called the Portmore Police Station and issued death threats against a policewoman.

This, the police say, is the second of such incidents to occur in recent times.

The officer who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation also disclosed to THE WEEKEND STAR that some weeks ago another lawman received death threats which were said to be levelled by a popular Portmore resident.

The police say they are investigating and will do all they can to see to the well-being and safety of the two cops who were threatened.

Several thugs who were recently listed as persons of interest by the police say their names have been tarnished and they are now being labelled as informers in their communities.

Checks by THE WEEKEND STAR have revealed that a number of these men from communities within the Corporate Area and St Catherine are now trying desperately to hold on to their 'tough-guy' image, as their counterparts believe they 'leaked' information to the police.

The men were detained following the May 24 incursion of Tivoli Gardens and its environs in west Kingston. The police had released the names of at least 30 men from various communities in the Corporate Area and St Catherine who they asked to turn themselves in. Majority of the identified men did so and were kept for a period of time before being released.

In one central Kingston community, one man who turned himself in to the police some two months ago, claimed since his release from custody he has noticed that a number of persons who were once close to him have been keeping their distance.

taken into custody.

He also claimed to hearing word being circulated in the community that he is a police informer and helped them with information when he was taken into custody.

"Wi know this a something weh di police dem plan eno, dem nuh waa see di togetherness so dem tek wi inna custody and dem call up other man name fi mek it look like seh a who dem did hold a call man name," the 32-year-old man who strongly requested anonymity reasoned.

According to him, persons told him that while he was in custody, the police visited his community and asked for the whereabouts of a number of men while claiming that they were tipped-off.

Another well-known thug Sniper, from a notorious St Catherine-based gang, told THE WEEKEND STAR that he too heard similar claims from persons after he was released from police custody recently.

Though he is feared by many, Sniper says that has not stopped the rumours from circulating and even added that it has caused segregation and animosity among members of the gang.

"It a cause a whole heap a friction inna wi ting and dat dangerous cause as simple as it sound, it can start big war. A di police dem a do it still eno but some man jus' feel like seh dem fi believe even though dem know seh mi a real warrior weh dem a par wid fi years and know mi naw sell dem out," he said. "Yea mi see man stop come roun mi certain ways like me and him inna war or suppen."

low profile

When THE WEEKEND STAR contacted another member of the gang, he admitted that he was one of those who has been keeping a low profile, as informers were indeed helping the police. He, however, did not give a name as to who he thought the informer might be.

"If yu see how di police dem work yu will see seh dem definitely a get information. All of a sudden dem know every man name or alias. Mi naw point no finger still but it best mi gwaan stay to miself fi now," the 24-year-old said.

In a recent interview with THE WEEKEND STAR, CIB Head, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, said police intelligence suggested that putting pressure on members of the criminal underworld has caused some amount of discomfort among them.

He said the police would be continuing with such efforts as they look to hinder the operations of these criminals.