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Jamaica rejects St Kitts’ claim of first legal recognition of Rastafari

April 07, 2026 | News
WESTERN BUREAU: The Government of Jamaica has pushed back against claims that St Kitts and Nevis is the first Caribbean nation to recognise Rastafarianism in law, insisting that Jamaica has long acknowledged the faith within its constitutional and parliamentary framework. Speaking with The Gleaner on the sidelines of the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 Coral Gardens Incident last Friday, Culture Minister Olivia Grange said that Jamaica’s legal system has historically recognised Rastafari as a legitimate religion.
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Marathon runners to get own World Champs by 2030

World Athletics has outlined a landmark strategic road map for the future of distance running with the creation of a World Athletics Marathon Championships from 2030. The marathon will remain a discipline at the World Athletics Championships in 2027 and 2029, but from 2030, it will move to its own standalone championships. From 2031 onwards, the marathon — or any other road-running distance — will no longer form part of the World Athletics Championships.
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Jefferson-Wooden, Tebogo announced as Kids’ Athletics ambassadors

Sprint stars Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Letsile Tebogo have been announced as ambassadors for the World Athletics Kids’ Athletics programme, with just one month to go to Kids’ Athletics Day on May 7. Both athletes will kick off the latest campaign at next month’s Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, celebrating five years of Kids’ Athletics Day.
Sports

Champions League advantages for Bayern, Arsenal

MADRID (AP): Harry Kane delivered for Bayern Munich on his return from injury, scoring a goal and helping set up another in his team’s 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals yesterday. Kylian Mbappé scored Madrid’s goal after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came up big for Bayern with several key saves to keep the German champions with the first-leg edge.

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The Pure Chocolate factory in Ocho Rios, St Ann, that was severely damaged by a falling guango tree during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.
Published 10 minutes ago

Sweet comeback

Just a week after opening its doors, the Pure Chocolate factory in Ocho Rios, St Ann, was battered by Hurricane Melissa. A massive guango tree lodged in its roof, leaving production at a standstill and causing millions in losses. But since last month, the business has started to bounce back, with staff, chocolate, and some of the island’s cocoa farmers all rising from the wreckage. On top of that, the company was nominated days ago as one of the top three businesses of the year by the St Ann Chamber of Commerce.

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William Knibb Principal Linvern Wright.
Published 8 minutes ago

‘SHAMELESS’

WESTERN BUREAU: Linvern Wright, the principal of William Knibb High School, says governments over the years have failed to provide adequate sports facilities for athletes in western Jamaica, leaving them at a significant disadvantage to athletes from the Corporate Area, who are exposed to high-quality facilities. In a Facebook post last Thursday, during the staging of the annual ISSA Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championship (Champs), Wright described the strong political presence at the high-school showpiece as “shameless”.

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Enthusiastic audience at NDTC’s 45th Easter concert

The National Dance Theatre Company’s (NDTC) Easter Sunday morning concert drew an enthusiastic response from the near-capacity audience at the Little Theatre on Tom Redcam Avenue in St Andrew. There was continual applause and cheering throughout the show, and as it ended, one delighted patron declared to The Gleaner, ”That was one of the best in years. Lots of new dancers.”

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Aircraft marshaller at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, on Friday, February 24.
Published 8 minutes ago

GAP refinances US$95.5m loan backing Jamaica, Mexico airport operations

The Pacific Airport Group (GAP), the Mexican airport operator that manages two of Jamaica’s international airports, has refinanced a “US$95.5 million bank loan” that matured on March 19, rolling the debt into a new short-term facility with the same lender, BBVA México. “The new loan has a six-month term, with the option to extend for an additional six months, with interest payable monthly at a variable rate equivalent to Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 40 basis points,” stated GAP in its filings.

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Entreprenuer Andrae Artwell enjoys a game of pickleball at Camp Porti.
Published 9 minutes ago

A weekend to reconnect, reset at Camp Porti

Camp Porti, the Easter weekend escape tucked into the lush landscape of Portland, Jamaica, has become synonymous with entertainment and wellness. Set against rolling hills, turquoise coves, and wild greenery, the experience invited guests to reconnect with a sense of well-being through a blend of adventure and relaxation. In its second staging, event organiser PJ Wright shared the vision behind Camp Porti’s wellness focus, noting, “Our roots in Jamaican wellness run deep, everything from our local teas and healing herbs to the way we move through this landscape.

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An estimated five per cent of students drop out before the end of grade nine, and up to eight per cent exit the system between grades nine and 10.
Published 8 minutes ago

Editorial | Tracking all students

The disclosure that 335 students remain missing from Jamaica’s classrooms five months after Hurricane Melissa highlights the urgency of establishing a robust system to monitor children’s school performance and track their whereabouts if, and when, they go missing.

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