Usain Bolt ended his six-month relationship with a Slovakian fashion designer in order to focus on the upcoming London Summer Olympics.

News reports suggest Bolt's breakup with Lubica Slovak, 28, was because of his desire to repeat his double-gold/world-record Olympic performance in London. The Jamaican sprinter swept both the 100 and 200 meters in Beijing in 2008, setting world records in each race.

A source close to Bolt told The Sun, "He will have plenty of time for relationships. At the moment he's concentrating on his running career and doesn't want anything to distract from that."

Slovak emigrated to Canada as a teenager and later moved to Jamaica after she took a vacation there. She was introduced to Bolt by reggae singer Tami Chynn, a mutual friend.

The sprinting star was criticized in his native Jamaica when a picture of him kissing Slovak, who is white, appeared in a local newspaper. A cartoon accompanied the photo, in which Bolt was seen running past a black woman with "local" written on her shirt and into the arms of a "Slovakian fashion designer."

The island's second-largest newspaper published letters to the editor criticizing Bolt's choice in women. Countless Internet comments angrily reacted to the Bolt-Slovak relationship.
                      

Rihanna makes Time Magazine's top 100 most influential people in the world list 2012.
Aside from currently being ranked at the No. 4 spot of people most followed on Twitter, Rihanna has landed a spot on TIME Magazines Top 100 Most Influential People In The World list. She and Adele are the only 2 mainstream music artists who have been given the recognition on this list.

Here is what TIME Magazine had to say about why they gave Rihanna the honor of being put on the list:

"She's one of the coolest, hottest, most talented, most liked, most listened to, most followed, most impressive artists at work today, but she does it in her own stride. She works hard, very hard. She gives to her fans, friends and foundation not just herself but her energy and spirit."

KINGSTON, Jamaica – April 18, 2012 – Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, has been chosen by TIME magazine’s editors as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

According to TIME, this coveted list recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals and includes people who inspire, entertain, challenge and change the world.

An annual list now in its 9th year, the TIME 100 selects a prized list of pioneers, moguls, leaders and icons. Prime Minister Simpson Miller’s inclusion is among other world leaders, including United States President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Machel Montano is still king of Soca, 2012 carnival Trinidad & Tobago.

SVG is the only Caribbean destination to make the CNN rankings and is described as “a tropical paradise”.

“What's not to like about a tropical paradise that bills itself as ‘one destination, 32 gorgeous Caribbean islands’?” CNN said.

“Located between St Lucia and Grenada, this island chain has long drawn stars and vacationers with deep pockets, but it will become more accessible to a wider range of travelers thanks to a $240 million airport scheduled to open on St Vincent,” Travel + Leisure reports.

The nine destinations to have made the rankings came from the recommendations of four travel experts: Robert Reid, US travel editor for Lonely Planet; Martin Rapp, senior vice president of Leisure Sales at Altour; Anne Banas, executive editor at Smarter Travel; and Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor for Orbitz.com. Other suggestions came from Travel + Leisure and Budget Travel.


Bahamas makes wedding planning easy.
NASSAU, Bahamas -- For many couples, the most important question after "will you marry me?" is "how do we plan a destination wedding?" Now, Freda Madrisotti, director of romance for The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation can help with the answers via her new application on The Bahamas Facebook page.

From large-scale, all-inclusive resort options on Nassau/Paradise Island and Grand Bahama Island to the barefoot elegance of beachfront weddings on Abaco, Andros, Cat Island or The Exumas, couples will find there are countless opportunities to customize their special day.

"With this online tool, I can easily help people fully explore the variety of options available for weddings or special occasions in The Bahamas," said Madrisotti.

Madrisotti has been working with hotels, wedding planners and members of the Bahamas Bridal Association to assist with destination wedding, vow renewal and honeymoon planning needs since 2006Fans of The Bahamas Facebook page can now interact with Madrisotti via the 'Romance' tab accessed through the left hand index. There, visitors will find answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions, from what you need to get a marriage license to where you can research vendors for the big day.

Fans of the page can also participate in the 'Find your Romantic Island' interactive quiz and contact Madrisotti directly with any additional questions by submitting an inquiry through the 'Ask the Director of Romance' box.

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone from Nassau and Paradise Island to Grand Bahama to The Abaco Islands, The Exuma Islands, Harbour Island, Long Island and others. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining.

The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through US customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar at par with the US dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas.

Jamaica awards Dennis Brown with national honor.
(AP)  KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica on Monday awarded the late reggae singer Dennis Brown with one of its highest civic honors, a fitting tribute for a musician who is more beloved than Bob Marley among many Jamaican reggae fans.

Some 12 years after his death, the former child star who became known as the Crown Prince of Reggae was posthumously conferred with the Caribbean island's Order of Distinction for his contributions to reggae, which has played a huge role in Jamaica's culture and economy.

Brown's widow, Yvonne, attended the National Honors and Awards ceremony in Kingston, where the late entertainer was honored along with living awardees, including singers Millie Small and Ralph "Dobby" Dobson.

Junior Lincoln, chairman of a charitable trust named after Brown that is devoted to preserving his work and memory, said the late singer from gritty downtown Kingston is revered by Jamaicans due to his warm personality and honeyed singing voice with a unique vibrato.

"We've spent about 10 years trying to get him honored in this way," said Lincoln, a veteran of Jamaica's music industry who helped promote Brown's music in England.

Brown, who died at 42 of respiratory ailments, rose to prominence during the 1970s wave of reggae singers that included Marley, whose music introduced the Jamaican genre to listeners worldwide. He released more than 50 albums and a long string of hits, beginning with "No Man is an Island," which he recorded in 1969 at the age of 12.

Roger Steffens, a reggae archivist, said Brown was "seen as truly one of the masses, born and raised in the heart of the downtown Kingston ghetto."

"He grew to maturity with the country itself, and many people saw themselves in Dennis, especially in the light of his struggles with drugs, which were well known in the reggae world," Steffens said in an e-mail.

He recorded his first work at Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's famed Studio One, the island's first black-owned music studio which launched the careers of dozens of reggae legends, including Marley, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Freddie McGregor.

By the mid-1970s, Brown had become one of the island's most popular performers.

His hits include 'Wolves and Leopards,' 'Here I Come,' and 'Revolution.' He worked with a who's who of Jamaican producers during reggae's 1970s and '80s golden age, including Joe Gibbs, Sly & Robbie, and Derrick Harriott.

After Brown died in 1999, more than 10,000 Jamaicans streamed into a Kingston theater to view his body. He became the first entertainer to be buried at National Heroes Park, a cemetery reserved for Jamaica's most notable figures.