Saturday, April 26, 2025
Home Blog Page 6

Jamaica Could Become a Powerhouse in the Beauty Industry

By
Western Mirror
-
2455

International Business Development Executive P. Falasha Harrison believes that Jamaica is sleeping on its potential in the global Beauty and Wellness Industry. That, as a country, we need to carve out a niche supplying natural products to the multi-billion dollar marketplace.

In her address at the media launch of the 4th annual Jamaica International Beauty Expo at Icon Feareview Mall, Montego Bay, on Tuesday, Harrison said that it is time for us to recognize the shifting landscape of the world around us, as traditional boundaries are dissolving and global markets are opening up new possibilities for growth and expansion.

The beauty industry entrepreneur highlighted that the industry is valued at over $500 billion, with natural, organic, and eco-friendly products experiencing unprecedented growth and that as the heartbeat of the Caribbean, Jamaica; can capitalize on this as consumers worldwide are always seeking products that align with their values and prioritize sustainability, health, and well-being.

As a devoted advocate for Jamaica, Harrison challenged Jamaicans and the Ministry of Tourism to focus on the power that lies within our culture and the importance of nurturing and protecting our resources, investing in our people, and ensuring Jamaica remains a thriving and prosperous nation for generations to come.

“By investing in our homegrown talent, embracing eco-friendly practices, and nurturing our unique cultural heritage, we can create a beauty industry that thrives on the world stage. Let us work tirelessly to establish Jamaica as a powerhouse in the beauty and wellness industry.” Harrison lamented.

One of the main pillars of The Jamaica International Beauty Expo (JIBE) is to assist in developing and providing a platform for the growth of the beauty and wellness industry in Jamaica. JIBE Coordinator, Suzette Brown, highlighted that the Expo has and will continue to foster growth on a global scale, as it facilitates exhibitors from the Caribbean, the US, and Nigeria.

The 4th staging of the Jamaica International Beauty Expo, presented by Beauty By Doctors Medical Spa, is set for June 23-25, 2023, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The Expo themed “The Business of Beauty” will showcase different businesses in the beauty and wellness industries and will include panel discussions, demonstrations, and presentations by professionals.

Hanover to Mark 300th Anniversary in Style

By
Western Mirror
-
330

A slate of events is being planned to celebrate the 300th (tercentennial) anniversary of Hanover’s incorporation as a parish.

Deputy Mayor of Lucea and Co-Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Andria Dehaney-Grant, made the announcement during the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting on May 11.

She brought a Notice of Motion to the Council with the intention to declare Sunday, November 12, 2023, as Hanover Day and a public holiday in the parish.

Councillor Dehaney-Grant stated that a broad-based committee that has been in operation since December 2022 has been laying the groundwork for the celebrations.

The body, which comprises representatives from the political directorate and civil society, was co-opted by the Corporation.

Councillor Dehaney-Grant also stated that, so far, the committee has crafted a programme of events that will bring local and international attention to the parish and hopefully attract investments to Jamaica’s third smallest parish, as it marks the occasion of its 300th anniversary.

In the interim, the year-long programme of events will kick off with a church service on Sunday, November 12, and culminate in November 2024. Other events include an investment, tourism, and agriculture expo, a fundraising ball, as well as cultural and sport events.

A commemorative souvenir magazine and other mementos are also in the making, the Deputy Mayor told the meeting. A stellar feature of the celebrations will be the Hanover Homecoming Week, when the parish will honour its stalwarts who have served the country and made their parish proud.

Among those to be honoured are National Hero and Jamaica’s first Prime Minister, the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante; former Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson; former Governor General, Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, and Olympian, Merlene Ottey.

FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT

There are also plans to rekindle the Friendship Agreement signed in 2007 between the then Hanover Parish Council and Nottingham City Council of the United Kingdom.

Councillor Dehaney-Grant said the Accord was aimed at forging an exchange of opportunities in tourism, investment, education, culture and sports between the councils.

She also disclosed plans to invite representatives of the German government in the hope of capitalizing on the connections between Hanover, Jamaica, and Germany. This link dates back to the House of Hanover, of which King George I was a progeny.

Councillor Dehaney-Grant advised that the festivities will be spread across the parish “as we will be having activities in all communities.”

“All 36 communities [will be] participating in the whole celebrations. All in all, plans are in place, and we are inviting all councilors and individuals to join the committee and be part of the discussions,” she added.

“There are various agencies that are already part of the conversation, and we hope that [Hanover Day] will be a celebratory [time] across the parish as we [commemorate] 300 years of existence… looking back at where we are coming from and also having discussions on how we move forward,” Councillor Dehaney-Grant further stated.

She informed that the Corporation would be responsible for organizing the Hanover Tercentennial activities and she and Committee Co-Chair, Rev. Glenroy Clarke, were in discussions with the Council regarding the establishment and staffing of a secretariat as well as creating a budget.

The parish of Hanover was incorporated on November 17, 1723, by an Act of the Legislative Assembly, after it was carved from a part of Western St James and the Northern section of Westmoreland.

Norse Atlantic Airways heads to Jamaica

By
Western Mirror
-
2467

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed the announcement by low-cost Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic Airways that it will expand its services to the Caribbean to include Jamaica this winter season.

“This service is coming at an opportune time as we seek to diversify the options available to our visitors from the UK, which is our largest European market. Norse will provide flights at a reasonable price point that will certainly encourage more arrivals to Destination Jamaica, moving us closer to our target of 5 million annual visitors by 2025,” noted Minister Bartlett.

Norse announced on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, plans to begin the operation of four flights per week to Montego Bay from October 29 and three flights per week to Kingston from October 31, out of the London Gatwick International Airport in the United Kingdom.

Bjorn Tore Larsen, Chief Executive Officer of Norse Atlantic Airways has underscored that the introduction of such new flights from London Gatwick will enable more travellers to experience destinations at lower fares, adding that those wishing to reunite with friends and family will have greater choice during this traditionally high demand travel period.

In lauding the move, Minister Bartlett described it as a major boost to efforts by the Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and various travel partners to improve affordable air connectivity between Jamaica and its traditional and non-traditional source markets.

The tourism minister also noted that further discussions are ongoing with other air carriers to establish direct routes to Jamaica, to foster continued growth in arrivals and tourism earnings.

‘Pocket Rocket’ named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year

By
Western Mirror
-
2136

Jamaica’s multiple World and Olympic Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the winner of the prestigious Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award.

The Jamaican sprint queen topped five other nominees shortlisted for the award – the others being US 400 meters Hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; Polish Tennis star Iga Swiatek; Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas; US Alpine Skier Mikaela Shiffrin and US swimmer Katie Ledecky.

It’s Fraser-Pryce’s first time winning the award in her sixth nomination, which comes on the heels of her record-breaking season in which she claimed her fifth world 100m title and her fifth Diamond League trophy.

The 10-time world champion ran a world-leading 10.62 seconds and a historic seven sub-10.70 races in the event this season, the most by any woman in the history of athletics.

In the meantime, Argentine Football legend Lionel Messi was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, the maestro having led his country to a third World Cup last December.

Messi beat out the likes of Dutch driver Max Verstappen, PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe; NBA star Steph Curry; Tennis star Rafael Nadal and Pole Vault maestro Armand Mondo Duplantis to win the award.

Caribbean Heat Season Warms Up, Maybe Hotter Than Usual.

By
Western Mirror
-
2468

It has been a hot couple of months for many Caribbean islands, with no end in sight to the excessive heat.

According to the Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF), in its heat outlook for May to October 2023, excessive heat can be expected, especially in August and September.

The heat outlook forecast notes May to July, marking the first half of the Caribbean heat Season (April/May to October) may well be hotter than usual for most.

Intense night-time and daytime heat are expected in much of the Caribbean from August to September/October, marking the peak of the Heat Season.

Over in St. Maarten, the Meteorological Department in its seasonal outlook for May to July 2023 states models are indicating that rainfall totals for the season May-June-July 2023 are likely to be near the normal range in St. Maarten and the rest of the Caribbean.

The normal rainfall for the May-June-July season in St.Maarten ranges from 167mm–295mm / 7-12 inches, with 28 to 36 wet days. May to June the region transitions to the wet season where rainfall may be more frequent while in July there is often a summer dry spell.

The forecast is for up to 5 (7-day) wet spells, up to 3 very wet spells and about 5 (7-day) dry spells on St. Maarten during this season.

The majority of the forecast models predict that El Niño will start this season May to July 2023 (73% chance).

There is a likelihood that the El Niño phase will persist through early 2024. The wet season in the Caribbean may be drier than normal in view of the likely development of El Niño.

Currently, short-term drought has developed in Barbados, Belize, southeast Cuba, USVI, Martinique and St. Vincent while long-term drought has also developed in other areas across the Caribbean.

Although ‘drought’ conditions will persist in St. Maarten through May, models indicate that by the end of July there will be no drought concern.

Work Starts on the Long-awaited Usain Bolt Statue

By
Western Mirror
-
2722

The long-promised statue of track icon and Trelawny native Usain Bolt is now one step to becoming a reality after work started on the project.

Since last week, teams from the Jamaica Defense Force’s (JDF) engineering division have been on the ground carrying out work to, in the first instance, build out the base of the facility on which Bolt’s statue will stand in historical Water Square, Falmouth.

This phase of the project is expected to last at least four months. While the cost for the project has yet to be ascertained, funding for the project is said to be a joint venture between the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and SportMinistry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the local municipal corporation.

The development is said to be welcomed in all sectors of the parish given that residents have longed called for the statue, which will represent the man who has gone on to bring international recognition to the space, in particular, his home community of Sherwood Content.

At a recent meeting of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, the clearest indication was given that the work would have started on the project, which was announced years ago as a means to highlight the parish of the world record holder.

“We expected that in May of this year, the project will officially start with the Jamaica Defense Force on board,” Chief Executive Officer for the Corporation, Winston Palmer, had announced at the meeting.

“The base for the statue and the materials have started to arrive, and these are housed at the Roads and Works Department. Certain other materials will be delivered as soon as that container arrives,” he further added about the development.

Currently, the ongoing work will see some changes to the space, which also houses the famous fountain from which the space has been named. Reports indicate that the fountain will remain a prominent feature of the area and be part of a new look town centre that is expected to boost the tourism credentials of the town.

When completed, the area will be lit, and there are expected to be storyboards to tell the history of Usain Bolt and his exploits, and also there will be information about the historic fountain as well.

Maroon Town & Mount Carey Get FREE Wi-Fi

By
Western Mirror
-
2349

Two communities in the St. James Southern Constituency- Maroon Town and Mount Carey now have access to free Wi-Fi.

Last week Thursday, free Wi-Fi was officially commissioned into service in the communities and will see well over 1200 citizens benefitting.

This is the third site in St. James Southern where the USF has so far installed free Wi-Fi-the other being Catadupa.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremonies in the communities, Member of Parliament Homer Davis, said he was pleased that through his efforts and with the support of the USF, the technology was being made available in Maroon Town and Mount Carey.

“Today, I am a very proud Member of Parliament for this wonderful constituency – St. James Southern. This is the day that the Lord hath made and today I am very pleased to welcome you here for the official commissioning of this Community Access Point-better known as FREE WI-FI in the Maroon Town community. This is a commitment that I made to the citizens and today I am pleased to say commitment delivered!”

Minister Davis reiterated that upgrading and or bring technology right across St. James southern remains firmly fixed on his list of priorities.

He said the installation of free Wi-Fi in Maroon Town and Mount Carey is a welcome addition to the infrastructure of the communities as it will greatly assist everyone, especially students in their education pursuits.

“I must admit the pride I feel to be participating in this event, which will help immensely in bolstering the value of the people of Maroon Town and Mount Carey and adjoining communities.

The installation of free Wi-Fi is crucial to the development of your community as we work toward putting St. James Southern back on the map as a productive constituency, where citizens remain very ambitious and where our citizens have fully embraced new technologies”, Minister Davis stated.

The St. James Southern MP stated that “access to the internet is paramount especially in our changing world…a world in which we must embrace technology in self and community development and empowerment”.

In issuing a challenge to residents of the communities to take care of the Wi-Fi infrastructure, Minister Davis also implored them to be responsible in their use of the technology.

“Today, I use this platform to encourage you all to use this free Wi-Fi responsibly.

The time has come for us to start using the internet for more than just social media entertainment purposes and instead use it to improve our daily lives and our livelihoods.

We must also be mindful of cyber-security issues, such as hacking, identity theft, cyber bullying, among others and therefore I implore you to use the technology to improve efficiency in how we operate in our personal and professional lives’, Minister Davis said.

Bartlett Is Not Pleased With The State of Falmouth

By
Western Mirror
-
788

Even as the development of the parish of Trelawny into a sought-after resort is progressing in earnest, Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett is expressing displeasure with the state of sections of the town capital, Falmouth. Declaring that “we have to fix the town of Falmouth,” Minister Bartlett said a proper public education program has to be carried out in the town to foster public order.

The Minister undertook an extensive walk-through of the town recently and underscored the need for improvements to the area. He was emphatic that “the streets problem has to be dealt with, and I am going to drive that force as much as we can to make sure that it is dealt with. You can’t have Jamaicans moving around trying to peddle their wares in a toxic environment.”

The walkthrough formed part of a tour of sites in Trelawny and its environs, including Old Folly; the Falmouth Cruise Terminal; Water Square; as well as the Trelawny Parish Church, and ended with a meeting with stakeholders at Falmouth Mystic Lagoon Tours. The activities come amid efforts by the Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies to boost destination assurance across the island.

Minister Bartlett has committed to working with the Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Colin Gager, and other stakeholders in making representation for the relevant agencies to step in and assist in improving the conditions as well as effecting urgently needed repairs to the historic town hall and court house which have been compromised by issues including aging. This has forced the relocation of the courtroom and offices of the municipality.

Mr. Bartlett also had discussions with representatives of the more than 227-year-old Trelawny Parish Church, one of the town’s historic landmarks, which he described as “an absolute treasure and an architectural delight but is now in a state of disrepair and we have to deal with that.” It is also a major heritage attraction for visitors to Falmouth.

The Minister outlined that the Falmouth Cruise Terminal will be having larger vessels visiting, while Old Folly is receiving attention from the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). Following an examination of the area, Minister Bartlett said steps would be taken for it to be enhanced even more.

TPDCo had erected a gazebo at Old Folly and added a few other elements. However, the Tourism Minister believes that given its amazing view, with further improvements, the location could become a major point of interest for visitors and fuel economic activity that will benefit the average Jamaican. TPDCo has been tasked with executing the additional improvement work.

PRIVATE-PUBLIC SECTOR PARTNERSHIP

He has also suggested that a private-public sector partnership for its maintenance, similar to that embodied in a memorandum of understanding signed on Thursday for the upkeep of the Mammee Bay Waterwheel in St. Ann, would be ideal for that location as well.

Giving a synopsis of development in Trelawny, Minister Bartlett said currently, the parish had 4,000 rooms, another 4,000 set to come on stream in the next five to ten years, including the reopening of the Braco Village.

“We are in the process of fine-tuning an arrangement with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which owns the property, to bring Braco Village back in line and hope to have it back in operation by winter of 23/24,” said Mr. Bartlett.

Discussions are also ongoing for 1,000 new rooms in the first instance for Harmony Cove, “and the arrangements are now fully advanced for the hotel to come on track,” stated Minister Bartlett. Likewise, he said the new Riu hotel will add 750 rooms next to Royalton, and a recent discussion with TUI is expected to result in at least another 700 rooms in that location.

On top of these, Minister Bartlett said villas are on the drawing board for Silver Sand and Duncans Bay.

Refuge of Hope Sheltering Montego Bay’s Homeless

By
Western Mirror
-
1882

In the heart of St. James, Jamaica, there is a place where hope springs eternal for the homeless. It is called the Refuge of Hope Homeless Shelter, and it provides food, shelter, and clothing for those in need.

The homeless are an often-overlooked population in society, and Refuge of Hope is one of the few organizations in the area providing care for those who need it most. Founded in 2009, the shelter has been a beacon of light for the homeless community, offering not only basic needs but also medical care, mental health support, and vocational training. There is a Memorandum of Understanding with the St. James Municipal Corporation to provide and maintain the shelter, but the day-to-day operation is solely run by the Open Heart Charitable Mission and its Board of Governors.

Refuge of Hope is an essential part of the community; it has transformed the lives of many homeless persons, providing them with the basic necessities they need to survive and helping them rebuild their lives.

Approximately 95% of the residents at the shelter are mentally challenged, and the cost of providing care for them is significantly higher than for those who are not. The mission relies solely on donations to keep its doors open.

The facility’s administration has not, however, taken the position of sitting down and saying “poor me,” but instead has taken the initiative to set up an egg-selling business and plant vegetables to feed its residents with the hope of eventually becoming self-sufficient.

The shelter is more than just a place to sleep; it is a sanctuary for those who have been cast aside by society. Let us come together to ensure that this beacon of hope continues to shine for years to come.

Cecile and Chris Martin Reunites in ‘No Expectations’

By
admin
-
2512

Former Jamaican celeb couple Cecile and Christopher Martin have teamed up to release a new single, ‘No Expectations’.

“Boy let’s get together and take a vacay. Let me love you now over your body,” Cecile sings in her verses Martin agrees they should get away for a ‘weekend full of pleasure’, adding, “Now it’s the perfect time for my hands to prove my lips have told no lies.”

The song glides on a mid-tempo Reggae Lovers Rockstyle baseline that spurs old-school romantic feels. For some listeners, Cecile and Chris’ new collab has sparked rumors of a rekindled love.

Produced by Cyclone Music Group and J-Vibe Productions, ‘No Expectations was recently released with an animated lyric video showing the two one-time lovers sharing a warm embrace.

Martin, 36, and Cecile, 49, called it quits in 2014 after four years of dating. Since their breakup, the two have remained ‘friends’ and they maintain a healthy co-parenting relationship with their daughter Christiyana, affectionately called “Nana.”

1...567...101Page 6 of 101

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Newspaper is your news, entertainment, music fashion website. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.

Contact us: contact@yoursite.com

FOLLOW US

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv