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Minister of State for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Michael Stern, has commended the Jamaica Customs Department for working closely with the Ministry, in cleaning up the local scrap metal trade. Speaking at a stakeholders' symposium, hosted by Customs at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston on Wednesday (January 27), Mr. Stern said that the Ministry will continue to support...

The St. Mary Parish Council has been activating its parish disaster plan to accommodate Haitians who might seek refuge in the parish, in the wake of the devastation caused by an earthquake in that country on January 12. Secretary/Manager of the St. Mary Parish Council, Miss Ethlyn Douglas, told JIS News that the plan was discussed fully at a recent...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, has announced his intention to bring to Parliament, two pieces of legislation, which will provide for greater fiscal responsibility within the public service. The legislation, which will be tabled in Parliament on February 2, are amendments to the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act and the Public Bodies Management and...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding will lead a delegation to Beijing, China from Saturday, January 30 - Saturday, February 6, for a series of high level meetings that will cover energy, bauxite and major investments. The visit has been made possible through an invitation from the Chinese government following a visit here last February by the Vice President of the People's...

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, has said that the Government's subsidy for tertiary tuition will continue this year. "In a time of recession, in a time of crisis, the Government could not in all good conscience pursue a policy of radically adjusting the subsidy to our tertiary institutions, this would cause a dislocation that we could not sustain or...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says that there will be better monitoring of property taxes next year so that property owners can be more accountable. He was responding to a caller on his monthly radio programme, Jamaica House Live last night (January 27). The caller was concerned about how verges for private properties are maintained. "People must keep their places clean....

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh has wished a speedy recovery for former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation, Professor Rex Nettleford who fell ill this morning (Thursday) in Washington. Professor Nettleford was rushed to a hospital and placed in intensive care....

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has emphasized that the wage freeze for government workers will give the government some time to mend the economy. He was responding to a caller on his programme, Jamaica House Live last night (January 27). "When we speak about a wage freeze, we are talking about government workers, who we are responsible for. ..In the two...

Minister of National Security, Senator the Hon. Dwight Nelson, has said that the impending anti-gang legislation could be perceived as "draconian," but emphasised that they are necessary, as organised crime is posing the greatest threat to citizens' security in the Caribbean. He was speaking at the opening ceremony for a United Nations Development Programme workshop on citizens' security in the...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that the business proposal by airline pilots for ownership of Air Jamaica would be thoroughly reviewed if the current negotiations with Caribbean Airlines of Trinidad fall through. He was speaking on his monthly radio talk show programme, Jamaica House Live last night, (January 27). "If the negotiations with Caribbean Airlines do not lead to an...

A Joint Select Committee of the House is to hear submissions today (January 28), from members of the Diaspora Advisory Board seeking to obtain greater autonomy for the Jamaican Diaspora. Chairman of the Committee and Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Ronald Robinson, told JIS News that the meeting is expected to...

The Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) is to float a $1.6-billion bond, to finance construction of some 200-thousand square feet. of ICT factory space. This was announced in Parliament Tuesday (January 27) by the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon Karl Samuda, as he outlined a programme to create jobs and boost production, through the expansion of the small...