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Hundreds of persons flocked the Maroon Town, Accompong, St. Elizabeth, on Wednesday January 6 for the annual heritage celebrations, characterised by the usual traditional dances, music, rituals, feast, speeches and the blowing of the Abeng. The date marks the anniversary of the birth of Cudjoe (Kojo), the most powerful and important Maroon leader of the 18th century, whose successful exploits...

The National Works Agency (NWA) is looking into the possibility of using the red mud derived from alumina production in the construction of roads across the island. Engineer in charge of materials and soil research at the NWA, Vivian Blair, told JIS News in an interview that the agency has already gone through one aspect of the research process working...

The National Works Agency (NWA) has completed construction of the $169 million (US$1.9 million) Fairfield Bridge in St. James. The new bridge, which can accommodate two lanes of traffic, replaces the single lane structure, which previously served the area. It sits on piles with a concrete abutment, and is equipped with sidewalks, guardrails, and other safety measures. Completion of the...

President of the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF), Wayne Chen, has emphasised that teamwork must be maintained at the workplaces to ensure productivity. "The JEA is about making the employer/employee relationship as smooth as possible, because at the end of the day, all of our enterprises depend on efficient employees," he told the monthly meeting of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce,...

The Jamaican Association on Mental Retardation is re-branding itself as the Jamaican Association on Intellectual Disability (JAID), to create greater awareness and appreciation for persons with intellectual challenges in the society. According to JAID Executive Director, Grace Duncan, "We are hoping to reduce prejudice and discrimination towards persons with disabilities, and affirm their right to participate fully in society." She...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) says it is committed to cooperating fully with the investigations being carried out by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG), into allegations of irregularities in the re-registration of contractors benefitting from NHT contracts. In a release Thursday on (January 7), NHT Board Chairman, Howard Mitchell, responded to reports that the OCG has uncovered irregularities...

Prime Minister, the Hon Bruce Golding, has described allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller that the National Housing Trust (NHT) is being politicised as "baseless and provocative". In a statement made public by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Thursday (January 7), Mr. Golding, who has portfolio responsibility for the...

Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, will attend the swearing-in of new Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), Víctor M. Villalobos, on January 15, in Costa Rica. The Minister of Agriculture of Jamaica, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, will swear in the new Director General, in his capacity as the...

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is planning to increase personnel by 800 recruits this year. This would increase the size of the JCF to 9,200, and police complement to 13,000, including the additional 1,800 members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) and 2,000 Special Constables. This was revealed by Communications Director for the JCF, Karl Angell, at a press...

There should be some easing of traffic congestion in the town of Old Harbour, St. Catherine, with the commissioning into service of new traffic signals in the town square today (Jan. 7). Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry, in his remarks at the function, which also included the official opening of the Gutters to Free Town main road,...

Diaspora advisory board members in the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and Canada are working together to put forward a united position on a range of issues to be discussed at the Jamaica Diaspora Board meeting in Kingston on January 28. UK advisory board representative, Celia Grandison Markey, told JIS News that the representatives in the three regions...

If it is one advice that juvenile offender Damien Jackson* has for the country's young men, to turn them away from a life of crime, it is for them to value themselves. It is an important lesson that he, himself, had to learn the hard way. Damien strongly believes that not placing value in himself, coupled with negative thoughts and...