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Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), in Jamaica, Dr. Dustan Campbell, says there are substantial and sustained efforts underway to reduce the number of hungry people in the world by half, to no more than 420 million by 2015. "There are encouraging signals of a shift in policy. The Joint Statement on Global Food Security at the L'Aquila...

More than 1,500 students across the island benefited from the new posters and other heritage materials that were donated by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), during Heritage Week, which began on October 11. Speaking with JIS News today (October 17), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JIS, Mrs. Donna-Marie Rowe described the experience as one of a kind. "Our outreach...

The newly established Flagstaff Heritage Tours Visitor Centre, in St. James, was officially opened by Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett, on October 15. It is expected that this venture will provide more employment opportunities for the residents, which should result in a better standard of living for all. The heritage tour features three trails from the town centre in...

A new bridge built in the community of Bourbon, Portland, was officially opened by Minister of Transport, Hon. Mike Henry, on Thursday (October 15). The bridge, constructed at a cost of $9.8 million, was built by the National Works Agency (NWA). Construction became necessary because of the continuous erosion of the roadway by an adjacent river. Residents of the area...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Registrar General's Department (RGD), Dr. Patricia Holness, toured the Victoria Jubilee and Kingston Public hospitals, downtown Kingston, on Friday (October 16), observing the institutions' system of collecting and collating births, deaths and other vital statistics. Dr. Holness noted that Jamaica is developing a Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Manual, in which all components of...

The long awaited reform of Jamaica's Local Government system, to empower the Councils to be more efficient and responsive, is expected to be completed in June, 2010. Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for Local Government Reform, Hon. Robert Montague, informs JIS News that the extended timeline is achievable, and "we are working...

Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' Agro-Investment Corporation, Dr. David Lowe, has said that there is scope for the development and growth of natural and organic agriculture in Jamaica, through a national policy framework for the sector. "The strategies that we are looking at implementing, specifically organic, (are) really to contribute to the effort by identifying the pillars...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said that the country has received "value for money" in contracting the services of consultancy firm, Corporate Strategies Limited, to assist with the divestment of its five sugar estates. "So far, the returns have been that the taxpayers have not been called upon by the sugar cane industry," Dr. Tufton...

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), in a release Friday, has responded to claims which were attributed to National Transport Co-operative Society (NTCS) in an article published in the Gleaner last Sunday, concerning the future relationship between the Co-operative and the JUTC. The JUTC release read: In response to claims attributed to the National Transport Co-operative Society (NTCS) in an...

Two waste-to-energy plants are slated for early construction, which will see the country saving some US$60 million in the fuel importation bill, annually. This was announced today (October 16), by Minister of Energy and Mining, Honourable James Robertson, at a two-day Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James. "Jamaica is on...

Children are the most vulnerable members of society and in order for them to grow up and become positive contributing members, it is very important that they get a good start in life. No one is more aware of this than the members of a Canadian-based charitable organisation set up to serve the children of Jamaica, and its President Mrs....

Visual and Performing Arts Jamaica (VPAJ) opened a weeklong exhibition of Jamaican art and books, at the Jamaican High Commission, in London, yesterday (October 15). Chairman of the company, Ms. Sharon-Fox Mould, said would be a major market penetration venture, aimed at making the cluster self-sustaining. "This trip is actually a marketing penetration venture, so that we can get some...