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Fireworks display at the Kingston Waterfront, where many Jamaicans welcomed the new year on January 1.   Entertainer Ken Booth  performs at the launch of Jamaica 50 celebrations at the Kingston Waterfront on January 1, where many Jamaicans rang in 2012. The activity kicks off a year-long  celebrations for Jamaica’s 50th year of independence, under the theme ‘Jamaica….Feel the Heart...

In a bid to reduce the number of child -related matters before the courts, Chief Justice Zailia McCalla has indicated that provisions are being made for additional judges to hasten the disposition of such matters before the courts. Mrs. McCalla made the announcement on Monday, December 19 at a signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Security’s office in Kingston....

KINGSTON — The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is imploring persons to exercise care when purchasing gifts for children during the Christmas season. In an interview with JIS News, Communications Specialist at the CAC, Dorothy Campbell, said shoppers should be especially cautious when making purchases for younger children. “For the younger ones, you simply must be aware that some items might...

KINGSTON — The Jamaica 50 Secretariat is calling on members of the public to assist with the staging of activities planned to commemorate the country’s 50th year of independence next year.  Project Director, Jamaica 50th Secretariat, Lenford Salmon, said recruitment of volunteers will take place primarily through the Secretariat’s website at: www.jamaica50.com Mr. Salmon was speaking yesterday (December 20), at...

At least 290 National Youth Service (NYS) trainees are turning the pages of success, in dealing with the weaknesses which exist in the procurement and distribution of textbooks at high, junior high and all-age schools. So far, they have helped the Media Services Unit of the Ministry of Education to collect for re-distribution some $350 million worth of government-issued textbooks,...

The YB Afraid Foundation established by  world sprinter, Yohan Blake, has joined  with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) in adopting the Mount Olivet Boys' Home in Walderston, Manchester. This partnership resulted in a day of excitement and gifts for the residents of the Home on Saturday, December 17, as the JIS Management and Staff and the YB Afraid Foundation were...

KINGSTON — Plans for the country’s 50th anniversary celebrations next year are well advanced, with the  activities  set to  begin on Sunday, January 1, with fireworks  on the  waterfront, downtown Kingston, and  at various locations across the island. The celebrations, with the slogan ‘Jamaica 50: Feel the heart and soul of a nation’,  will   culminate in a similar manner on...

KINGSTON — A licensing and merchandising programme is currently in place to ensure that Jamaica reaps all the benefits from its 50th anniversary celebrations next year. “Our licensing and merchandising programme serves two purposes, one to give greater visibility to Brand Jamaica…and as a revenue earner,” Project Director, Jamaica 50th Secretariat, Lenford Salmon, said today (December 20), at a JIS...

The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has called on the society to be more vigilant of the care and protection of children and to report cases of abuse including neglect to the Office of the Children’s Registry.  The Minister’s latest appeal comes in light of a recent report that a teenager who had been ill...

KINGSTON — The United Kingdom leg of the global celebrations to mark Jamaica’s 50th year of Independence in 2012 was launched yesterday (Tuesday) in London. The programme of activities in the UK will begin in January and continue throughout the year in major cities and towns including London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds and Reading. The celebration activities involve concerts, fashions show,...

KINGSTON — The CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) is a critical component in ensuring integration of youth policies and programmes in the various countries in the region, says Directorof Youth Policy and Programme Development at the National Centre for Youth Development (NYCD), Roberta Brown Ellis. She noted that this will ensure that specific policies and programmes are in place...

KINGSTON — Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Hon Olivia "Babsy" Grange, has come to the aid of a 30-year-old man, who was sentenced, last month, to three month’s imprisonment for stealing ackees from a farm on the King's House property, home of Jamaica's Governor-General. The man, Junior Christie, has been given a $30,000 bail by the same judge...