Jamaica

Hurricane Ivan crashed into Jamaica late Friday, inundating coastal areas with two-story-high breakers after government appeals went unheeded by most of the 500,000 residents urged to evacuate. Only about 2,000 Jamaicans had taken cover in public shelters when the Category 4 hurricane, packing sustained winds of up to 155, mph raged into eastern Jamaica 10 hours later than forecast, slowed but not weakened on its path toward the southeastern United States.

Ranking with truffles and caviar as an exquisite indulgence, Jamaica's famed Blue Mountain coffee recently suffered economic body blows from knockoff artists and Mother Nature. Industry leaders can't do much about the weather, but they have lobbied the government to protect the reputation of Jamaica's prestigious export and to step up the pace of rebuilding roads to farmland ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

IN THE DECADES AFTER WORLD WAR II, THE GLITTERATI CLAIMED Jamaica. Drawn by the blazing sun, soft breezes and relatively relaxed moral atmosphere, hordes of movie stars, royals and literary lights descended on the island every winter. Among the luminaries, none glittered more brightly than two seemingly ill-matched British neighbors on the island's scenic northern shore.

The air was moist and the full moon hung large and low over the Caribbean. We sat on the veranda drinking wine and dipping grilled lobster tails into melted butter. A salty wind ruffled the pink tablecloth and made the candlelight flicker. The reggae band started a new song, and a murmur of recognition rippled through the crowd of diners. Could it really be . . . the theme from Sesame Street? Indeed it was. We were at the Franklyn D.

A man wanted in connection with a decade-old slaying of a German tourist in Santa Monica has been arrested in Jamaica, where he was living under a false identity, officials said Thursday. Paul Carpenter, 31, was arrested Wednesday morning in Kingston, Jamaica. He had been working as a driver at a car dealership and had started a family, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

No Landon Donovan? No Michael Bradley? No problem, U.S. national team Coach Juergen Klinsmann said heading into Friday night's World Cup qualifying game against Jamaica in Kingston. "It's something that is normal. There will never be a game where you have everybody at 100%," said Klinsmann, who, in addition to being without his two best midfielders, may also be limited in how much he can use forward Clint Dempsey, who hasn't played a competitive soccer game in three months. "You always have to deal with injuries, maybe some players being not on form.

Don Quarrie, who won a gold medal in the 200 meters for Jamaica in the 1976 Olympics, was named USC sprint coach.

With dreadlocks down to below her hips, the first Rastafarian to win the Miss Jamaica title is out to break the stereotype that Rastas are interested only in reggae and marijuana. Zahra Redwood, 25, will represent Jamaica in the Miss Universe pageant. The country's minority Rastafarians worship the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie as a god they call "Jah." "Not all Rastafarians smoke" marijuana, said Redwood, who holds a degree in biotechnology and zoology.

Caribbean leaders met in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to map out ways to deal with economic woes from a drop in tourism since the war in Iraq began. Jamaica has seen its travel reservations drop by nearly 40%, prompting the national airline, Air Jamaica, to reduce flights. Many Caribbean countries have criticized the United States for attacking Iraq without U.N. approval. Delegations from at least five nations were discussing aid to airlines and tax breaks for hotels.

Jamaica's first female prime minister faced pressure to concede defeat as officials began a final tally of ballots. With her party apparently suffering a razor-thin loss in Monday's vote, Portia Simpson-Miller refused to give up, saying the final count could shift enough close races for her People's National Party to win. Preliminary returns gave the Jamaica Labor Party 31 of the 60 seats in the lower house.