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A special feature of celebrations in Manchester to mark this year's independence, will be street dances focusing on traditional folk forms. The activities will begin with an Emancipation/Independence church service on July 27 at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Mile Gully, followed by the Emancipation Vigil on July 31 at the Mandeville Park. The street dances commence on August...

One million dollars will be up for grabs this year at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) World Reggae Dance Championships. The competition will form part of the JCDC's week-long series of events and activities in celebration of Jamaica's 170 years of full emancipation and 46 years of independence. This was disclosed by Danielle Hopkins, Public Relations Coordinator, at the...

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS), Senator Warren Newby, has assured that the Government will do everything within its power to enable young people to make positive choices. "No effort or money will be spared to empower you, the next generation of leaders. No effort or money will be spared because we have to...

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Wayne Cummings has disclosed that five hotels are expected to participate in the 'Tourism Village' at this year's staging of the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show to be held in May Pen, Clarendon. "Last year we did not have as much participation from the hotels as we would like, but this...

Thirty of the combined 187 fishing beaches and villages across the island have been earmarked for improvement work under a special programme being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture. During his Budget debate presentation earlier this year, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, announced the commencement of a programme to identify the critical fishing beaches across the island, with a...

Jamaica's first ever 'Mom to be and Baby Expo' will be staged on Saturday, August 9 and Sunday, August 10 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, in an effort to promote an understanding of early childhood development and enhance parenting skills. Lisa Ann O'Gilvie, Expo Producer, Caribbean Events Group made the announcement during a JIS 'Think Tank' on Thursday...

Water and Housing Minister, Dr. Horace Chang says Jamaica could see the creation of what he describes as a "whole new group of newly poor", consequent on the global spike in fuel and food prices over recent months that have impacted the country. Speaking at the launch of the Poverty Monitoring and Social Policy Analysis Programme's (PMSPA) islandwide poverty maps,...

Stakeholders in Manchester are giving full support to the Sustainable Development Plan that the Parish Development Committee (PDC) recently presented to the Manchester Parish Council. The Plan seeks to streamline development order in the parish; utilize the rail system to ease traffic in the town centres, tap into water sources for domestic consumption, and create partnerships for new sustainable business...

The Scientific Research Council (SRC) is currently undertaking a $10.3 million Plant Breeding and Diagnostics Technologies project, to improve the yields, and disease resistance of certain crops. The procedure involves the use of radiation to induce mutation, to develop plants with desirable characteristics. The project, which began in February of last year, is expected to end in December 2010 and...

The Ministry of Agriculture's Livestock Research and Improvement Unit, located at Bodles in St. Catherine, continues to undertake activities aimed at enhancing the quality of livestock and animal products. Deputy Research Director for Livestock, Jasmine Holness tells JIS News that the activities comprise seven sub-projects focusing on research and evaluation of animal feed; systems for animal husbandry; breeding of dairy...

Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce, Karl Samuda, has said that the Ministry has a direct responsibility to steward the development of the productive sector and the management community. This, he said, is in an effort to ensure that domestic and international investors attract incentives, which lead to the development of something fundamental. "The incentive must lead to the creation...

Regional Vice President for the International Organization of Employers (IOE), Ronnie Goldberg is urging Jamaican business owners to pay their taxes, not as a matter of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but because it is their legal obligation. "Businesses and other companies need to obey the law; they need to go beyond the law and what is legally required to manage...