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Jamaica now has a plan in place to respond comprehensively to a range of disasters that may affect agriculture, and the livelihoods of persons in the sector. This was revealed by Chairman of the National Agricultural Disaster Risk Management Committee, Al Powell, at a JIS Think Tank Tuesday (September 1). Mr. Powell pointed out that, in the past the focus...

Only $14.46 million has been spent to date on renovating the Minister of Transport and Work's Millsborough Crescent residence, in Kingston, and not the $65 million which has been rumoured. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Alwyn Hales, made the clarification at a press conference at the Ministry in Kingston on Wednesday (September 2), when he sought to dispel what...

The Government plans to spend over $600 million repairing the road network in the ill-fated Rio Grande Valley in Portland, Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry, said Wednesday (September 2). Mr. Henry told a press conference at his Ministry, Maxfield Avenue, Kingston, that the area has remained among his priorities since December 19 last year when 14 persons...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is inviting vendors to submit quotes for the construction of gates at certain sections of the Bog Walk Gorge in St. Catherine to prevent persons entering the area during heavy rainfall. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank today (Sept. 2), Deputy Director General of ODPEM, Richard Thompson, said the gates are...

About 28 local communities are being targeted for assistance in developing disaster mitigation plans over the next three years, under the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-funded Building Disaster Resilient Communities (BDRC) project. Project Co-ordinator, Joanna Oglvie, said that the initiative, funded in the sum of J$63 million, aims to establish partnerships among key Government and community stakeholders, in order to...

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, has announced that a major step is being taken to reduce bottlenecks in the legislative process by providing improved and more timely legislative drafting services. To this end, two highly skilled Canadian legislative drafters are expected in the island by late this month, to assist the Government with drafting...

The Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) is celebrating National Employers' Month in September, with focus to be placed on the regularisation of businesses and improving best practices. JEF President, Wayne Chen, speaking with JIS News at the launch held at the JEF headquarters in Kingston yesterday, (Sept. 1) said that with the global economic crisis "bearing down of the country's economy,"...

'Small Island', the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) much-anticipated adaptation of Andrea Levy's award-winning novel of the same name, had its first screening before an exclusive audience in London England recently. The adaptation, which will be broadcast as a two-part mini-series on BBC television this autumn, tells the stories of Jamaicans, who travelled to England during and after World War II...

With the new academic year set to get underway on September 7, schools are being encouraged to adopt a zero tolerance approach to indiscipline and illegal activities. "We are saying to the parents, administrators and the teachers that whatever is illegal in society is also illegal within the schools and we expect that there should be no cover up to...

Students for Transformation (SFT), an affiliate of the National Transformation Programme (NTP), has devised a work plan for transformational activities in schools, through their student leaders, for the new academic year. This was announced by the NTP's Director of Development, Planning and Monitoring, Fabian Brown, on Wednesday (Sept. 2) during the JIS weekly Think Tank session, at its head office...

One of the most difficult challenges facing Jamaicans with disabilities is finding employment, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is determined to help them overcome this hurdle by funding projects that make them less dependent. Approximately 10 per cent of the population, or close to 300,000 Jamaicans, have a disability. However, only a small fraction are employed in...

The European Union on Tuesday granted Jamaica J$3.6 billion under the European Commission co-operation programme. This brings the total EU assistance to an estimated Euro 740 million (just under J$93 billion) since the inception of the Lom