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Wayne Blake and Esther Stephenson smile as they watch their infant son sleep in his hospital bed this morning (April 15) at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. Somewhere in the hospital, surgeons are preparing for surgery to mend a hole in the one-year old's heart. But, the parents feel none of the dread that one would expect, at the thought...

Five-time Olympian, Raymond Stewart, will be honoured by Team Jamaica Bickle for his contribution to athletics, at the New York launch of Penn Relays 2009. At the event, set for this evening (April 15) at Ruder Finn's, Manhattan office, Stewart will be presented with citations from New York City Councilman Leroy Comrie and Team Jamaica Bickle. One of Jamaica's most...

Approximately $1.3 billion has been allocated to the Child Development Agency (CDA), in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The CDA represents an amalgamation of the functions and operations of the Children Services Division, the Adoption Board, and the Child Support Unit. It will continue to implement the mandates of legislation, such as the Child...

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, is encouraging young people to take up jobs in the tourism industry. The Minister, who was addressing the inaugural Tourism Youth Expo and Career Fair held last Wednesday (April 8) at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Montego Bay, said that tourism was a viable career option, and efforts would be made to guide the youth...

The Development of Sport and Recreational Facilities Project has received $600 million to continue to help preserve Jamaica's cultural heritage. The funds have been set aside in the Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The project also aims to: enhance the blossoming of the country's creative talent; promote a cultural fraternity in the Caribbean Basin;...

Youth development and empowerment is being given special attention in the 2009/2010 budget, with a total of $186.3 million allocated to these programmes. The Youth Development Programme (YDP) will spend $104 million; the Youth Empowerment and Participation Programme, $11 million; and, the Youth Empowerment and Information Centre Establishment project, $71.3 million. The establishment of Youth Information Centres is a main...

Work will continue this fiscal year to increase the access of the youth to quality information, skills and services in order to reduce their risk for HIV infection. This will be done under the Youth Empowerment and Participation Programme, for which a provision of $11 million has been made in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of...

Twenty one, of more than 300 singers and songwriters across the island that entered the Festival Song 2k9 Competition have been selected to participate in the semi final round on April 16. They include: Linoleum White from the parish of St. Thomas with "Sweet Little Paradise", Michael Barnett with "Gi Mi Mi Sweet Jamaica", Delisser McFarlane with "Quiet Oonuself", and...

Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke, has called on Jamaicans to begin to practise proper waste disposal in order to ensure a safer environment for the nation's children. "It is time for us to get a little more advanced and even to start separating our disposables and our waste as we seek to reuse, recycle and reduce," she stated, as she addressed...

The Government is spending approximately $82 million this fiscal year on youth empowerment and development programmes. The Ministry of Education has been allocated $50 million in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure for a Youth Development Programme aimed at strengthening institutional capacity to implement, monitor and evaluate youth policies and programmes. Support will be given to existing projects, and new initiatives...

Ladies and Gentlemen, join me in creative imagination. Close your eyes and picture this:A backdrop of unfurling mountain ranges, towering peaks and lush vegetation - sixty thousand revelers sway in unison, to Jamaica's music, reggae music, enchanted by the warm, friendly atmosphere. The voice of Bob Marley fills the air with a haunting melody and the mass of people ingest...

The Mandeville Police Youth Club will on Saturday (April 4) stage a fun day to support its social outreach programmes in communities across Manchester. The event will feature many popular sport activities, involving teams from across the island. "The Police Youth Club is a large organization in Jamaica, and we will have persons from a wide cross- section of the...