The 2015 Independence Day ceremony will be held on the west lawns of King’s House on Thursday, August 6. Presented by Their Excellencies, Governor-General, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen, the traditional celebration promises the usual pomp and pageantry, which has been associated with it throughout the years. The ceremony gets underway at 9:00 a.m. with a...

Chairman of the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP), Carol Palmer, is urging Jamaicans to be on alert for signs of human trafficking and report known or suspected cases to the police. “Persons may identify victims by bruises or any other signs of physical abuse. Victims are often not in control of themselves and appear to be under...

The Government is taking action to improve fuel economy and efficiency in the transportation sector and reduce vehicle emissions, which contribute to global warming. Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, made the declaration as he addressed the Regional Global Fuel Efficiency Workshop at the Terra Hotel and in St. Andrew on July 28. The workshop...

The historic Tulloch Castle in Kensington, St. James, regarded as the cradle of the movement which spawned the abolition of slavery in Jamaica and the Western Hemisphere, will be the site for the parish’s Emancipation vigil this year. Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Parish Manager for St. James, Vinton Haughton, who provided details at a recent JIS Think Tank, said...

The Management Institute for National Development (MIND) in partnership with the United Nations Communications Group and the Ministry of Justice, will host a discussion forum in observance of World Day Against Human Trafficking. The forum will take place on Thursday, July 30, at the MIND Kingston campus, 235a Old Hope Road, starting at 9:00 a.m. Marketing Manager at MIND, Shawnette...

The local authorities are working to take the profit out of human trafficking through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). POCA provides for the investigation, identification and recovery of assets garnered through criminal activity. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Lisa Palmer Hamilton, said that “upon conviction, an application can be made...

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), is hosting a two-day workshop for the development of a multi-sectoral action plan for the prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity. The goal of the workshop is to prepare a draft National Action Plan aligned with the Regional Plan of Action...